


In a Better Light

by Sundance201



Category: Grey's Anatomy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Slow Burn, Teen Pregnancy, alternate season 5, ish
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-23
Updated: 2021-02-28
Packaged: 2021-03-06 15:02:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 28,453
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26070838
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sundance201/pseuds/Sundance201
Summary: Mark told Lexie that she was the reason he knew that stepping up with Sloan was the right thing to do - so what if Sloan had showed up earlier, before Mark and Lexie were a couple? How would he have handled a pregnant, teenage daughter and a strange friendship with his best friend's girlfriend's half-sister?
Relationships: Lexie Grey/Mark Sloan
Comments: 28
Kudos: 141
Collections: Waiting for Updates





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Not quite a new chapter of "Talking and Laughing," but I promise that is coming soon! This particular little idea has been consuming me lately and I was excited to share it. I really wanted to explore how differently Mark would have reacted if he hadn't been in his relationship with Lexie when Sloan showed up and once I started thinking about it, I couldn't stop. 
> 
> Hope that you enjoy! I've been having a rough few weeks and this story has been my little escape, so I hope that it helps take your mind off things as well.

Lexie sighed as she stepped onto the elevator. She’d been up for nearly 24 hours straight and knew that she still had another 12 to go…at least she was finally over the halfway mark. She was hoping she could catch a couple of hours of sleep in the on-call room before she had to go and check on patients. She slumped against the wall of the elevator just as she heard someone shouting, “Hey! Wait! Hold the elevator!”

Her hand shot out on instinct, pressing the ‘door open’ button. Seconds later, a blonde girl stepped on and flashed her a bright grin. “Thanks!”

Lexie nodded silently and stepped back to the corner, slumping again.

“So you’re a doctor here?” the blonde girl asked. Lexie tried to rouse herself enough to engage with this stranger.

“Yeah. Just an intern, but…yeah.”

“Cool. That’s cool. Do you uh-” The girl fiddled with the strap of her purse. “Do you…know a Dr. Mark Sloan?”

Lexie nodded. “Yeah, of course I know Dr. Sloan. Well…know of him. I haven’t really worked with him a lot. He hates working with interns. I watch his surgeries sometimes.”

“Does he like…seem like a cool guy? Like a nice guy?”

Lexie straightened up and really examined the girl standing in front of her. Even in her sleep deprived state, something seemed off. “You’re…really young for him.”

At that, the girl spun around with a look of disgust. “Ew! Yeah! I’m like…way too young for him. That’s wrong on like, so many levels. Like so many. Gross.” She shook her head and gripped her bag again. “No I just like…want to know if he’s…a good guy. A cool guy.”

Lexie’s eyes narrowed, but she shrugged. “He seems…cool. He’s a really great surgeon. And he’s my half-sister’s boyfriend’s best friend, and Dr. Shepherd is a pretty good judge of character so…that’s something.”

The girl nodded and then turned to her, smiling. “So do you like…think you could help me find him?”

The doors opened to Lexie’s floor and she realized that the other girl had never even pressed a button. She tried to size the girl up, figure out her objective, but her brain was shorting out from the lack of sleep. She didn’t think the girl was dangerous…not unless she was some sort of superspy with some stellar acting abilities.

Lexie nodded as she moved out of the elevator, the blonde girl suddenly trailing behind her. “Yeah, he’s probably around here somewhere. And if we can’t find him, we can always page him.”

But as luck would have it, Mark Sloan was standing just in front of them at the nurses station. The nurse in front of him was glaring and Lexie assumed that she must have been one of the many…many nurses scorned. Dr. Sloan was very focused on the chart in front of him and not at the glare he was receiving from the nurse. “Um, Dr. Sloan?”

He looked up, his eyes narrowing when he looked her up and down. “What do you want, intern?”

Lexie couldn’t help but blush and she managed to stammer out, “there’s uh…there’s someone to see you.” She gestured vaguely to the girl who had followed her nervously down the hall.

The girl stepped forward and Mark’s eyes narrowed even further. “Hi! You’re Mark Sloan?” He nodded. “Cool. I uh….I think I’m your daughter.”

The nurses at the station couldn’t contain their sharp gasp of surprise and there was also definitely some mean-spirited giggling. Dr. Sloan’s jaw dropped open and Lexie felt like her eyes were about to pop out of her head as she stared at the girl.

“I’m Sloan. Sloan Riley. Samantha Riley’s daughter? And yeah…I think you’re my dad.”

“Just uh…just one second. I need to speak with Dr. Grey.” Lexie heard him say it and she was so surprised that Dr. Sloan even knew her name, she couldn’t object when he suddenly grabbed her arm and directed her to the nearest private space, which just happened to be a supply closet.

“What the hell is this, Grey? Are you in league with the nurses? Is this some sick joke?” he hissed at her, his bright blue eyes flashing with fury.

Lexie’s eyes went wide and she shook her head. “No! No! I just…we were on the elevator! She was talking to me on the elevator and she was asking about you and asked me if I could help find you! I didn’t…she didn’t…I had no idea what she was here for!” she squeaked out.

Dr. Sloan deflated in front of her and rubbed his hand over his face. “So this isn’t some sort of practical joke? Not some sort of…retribution?”

Lexie shook her head. “I don’t….I don’t think so? I don’t know, Dr. Sloan.”

“Samantha Riley…Samantha Riley…” he murmured to himself, rubbing at his chin. He started pacing and Lexie just watched him, her eyes darting between him and the door. He paused and closed his eyes. “Fuck. Samantha Riley.” His tone was one of realization now and Lexie’s eyes flew back to him before darting away again.

“What the hell does she want?” he muttered. Lexie’s gaze was fixed on the floor, assuming that he had sort of just forgotten about her presence and wanting to give him some sort of semblance of privacy as he was…figuring out whatever he was figuring out. “Hey, did you hear me? Did she tell you what she wants?”

Her gaze flew up to his and Dr. Sloan was completely focused on her. She felt herself blushing again as she shook her head in the negative. “I don’t know. She didn’t really say. But you could…ask her?”

“Just...go out there and ask her?”

Lexie shrugged. “Maybe take her to the cafeteria? Or…to that deli across the street, if you don’t want as many people around?”

Dr. Sloan nodded, rubbing at his chin. “Right…right.” With that, he spun on his heel and opened up the door, striding out into the hallway again, leaving Lexie behind in the supply closet. She quickly hurried after him, shutting the door behind her. “Sloan? Are you hungry? We can go to the deli across the street and…talk.”

Much to Lexie’s surprise, Dr. Sloan glanced over at her and she saw a slight question in his eyes…like he was asking her if he was doing it correctly. She just nodded minutely, and he turned his attention back to Sloan.

The young girl nodded. “Yeah, sure!” She looked over at Lexie now. “Uh, thanks for your help…”

“Dr. Grey,” Lexie quickly supplied.

Mark held out a hand to guide Sloan back towards the elevators and they walked off, leaving the hospital gossip mill to start turning. Lexie sighed and looked around.

Sleep. She needed sleep.

* * *

Derek hadn’t stopped laughing since he’d sat down. It made Mark wonder why he even called him.

“You had to have known this was coming eventually, Mark,” he managed to gasp out. “Are you going to get a paternity test?”

Mark nodded, taking another sip of his scotch. “Yeah. Did one today – we’ll have the results tomorrow. I’m pretty sure she’s right though. I think I’m her dad.”

“How do you know?”

He sighed. “I recognize her mom’s name. I remember…she told me she was pregnant. I gave her some money and skipped town. I assumed…fuck, man, we were 20. She was 18. I just assumed she’d…taken care of it. I had no idea that she kept the kid.” At that, Derek finally sobered.

“You’re not that guy anymore, Mark. Does she look like her mom?”

Mark took another sip of his drink. “Honestly? I don’t remember. I have this sort of blurry picture in my head of her, but…I don’t know, man.”

“Where is she?”

“I got her a room at the Archfield on my floor. I don’t know…how long she’s planning on staying. I don’t know why she’s here.”

The all too familiar beeping of a pager broke through the conversation. Both men reached for their belts, but only Derek sighed. “Sorry, Mark. It’s me. I’ve gotta go.”

Mark shook his head. “It’s fine. Go.”

He sat by himself, taking much longer than he normally would to finish his drink. He knew if he headed back to the Archfield that he should check on Sloan, but he had no clue what to say to her. He sighed, rubbing both hands against his face. He felt someone sit next to him and he shook his head.

“Torres, I’m not in the mood,” he murmured, figuring that she was the only other person aside from Derek who would approach him.

“It’s not Torres,” a soft voice said, and Mark immediately straightened, looking over at Lexie Grey.

She had dark circles under her eyes and he remembered how out of it she had looked earlier that day. “Did you just get off of a 36?” he muttered disbelievingly.

She shrugged. “George invited me out…but he’s over there with Dr. Stevens and…I saw you. I wanted to see how Sloan was doing. Did you talk to her?”

“Why do you care?”

Lexie sighed, folding in on herself slightly at his harsh tone. “You just…you looked like you could use someone to talk to. And she seemed like a nice kid. So I was just…wondering. And George is my ride home, so I can’t go anywhere until he goes and he’s…not going.”

Mark sighed, taking another sip of his drink. Lexie followed suit, taking a swig of her beer. He felt bad for snapping at her, but didn’t know how to make amends. So instead he just started talking. “I don’t know what she wants. I don’t know why she’s here.”

Lexie’s eyes widened in surprise. She apparently didn’t expect Mark to actually take her up on her offer. But much to his surprise…he did feel the need to talk. And if Derek and Torres weren’t here…well she had asked, hadn’t she?

“Did you ask her? When you went to talk?”

“I tried but she was…evasive. I don’t know how to talk to her.” He shrugged, taking another sip of his drink. “I mean…maybe she just wants some money. She’s 16 – maybe she wants money for college or a car or something and found out I was a plastic surgeon. Do you think that’s it?”

Lexie pursed her lips as he looked up at her. She was fiddling with the label on her beer bottle. “I don’t think that’s it.”

“Well then what could it be, Grey?”

Her eyes flashed angrily and he couldn’t help but smirk a little bit. He’d never have imagined that little bit of fire from the younger Grey girl. Meredith was feisty and could handle him, but this one always seemed like a little bit of a pushover.

“I don’t know! I think she wants to meet her dad. I don’t think it’s money or that she’s…looking for something temporary. I think she probably came here to meet her dad. She wants you to _be_ her dad. She doesn’t want a check and maybe a card at Christmas. She wants a dad. And that doesn’t mean a guy who writes her a $20,000 check one day and then calls her an ungrateful bitch the next day! It means a guy who listens to her when she needs to talk and helps her navigate the world and will let her cry on his shoulder when she’s had a really shitty day.”

She sighed heavily and took a long swig of her beer as Mark looked at her in confusion. “I may have been projecting,” she murmured, examining the label of her beer bottle again.

“Yeah, I think I picked up on that,” he replied, filing away that information to ask Derek about later. Did Derek know what a dick Meredith’s dad apparently was? He had to know, right? There was a reason that Meredith didn’t speak to him.

“I don’t know how to be a dad,” he muttered. “Derek’s dad died when we were 12 and I wouldn’t wish my father on any kid, especially my own…I don’t know how to be a dad.”

Lexie smiled at him and he found himself oddly captivated by her. She was nothing like Hahn or Torres or Addie or any other woman he’d ever been hung up on. She was sweet. She was innocent. He remembered seeing her big doe eyes as she had tried to keep Nick, his patient with the exposed carotid, from bleeding out in the hallway. He remembered that she had been there when he talked to Nick’s parents. She was soft. She was kind.

“She doesn’t know what it’s like to have a dad. That’s why she came looking for you. You should just…ask her if she wants to talk. She’s very chatty.” She giggled slightly, finishing off the last of her beer. “I don’t know how much substance there is in her chattiness, but she’s very chatty.”

Mark chuckled and nodded. “Yeah we talked for an hour and a half at the deli and….I can’t really even tell you what we talked about.”

Lexie grinned and fiddled with her now empty bottle. “You want another?” he asked her, nodding to her drink.

Lexie shrugged and looked over her shoulder, to where George and Izzie were still huddled at their table. “I uh…I think I’m good. Maybe I’ll just get a cab home. It’s been a long day. But thanks, Dr. Sloan.” She looked up at him, grinning softly again. “Just talk to her. I’m sure it’ll be fine.”


	2. Chapter 2

"She's pregnant."

Lexie's eyes widened as she looked to her side, where Dr. Sloan had snuck up beside her and announced this. She glanced around, expecting to see someone else, but for once, it was just them standing at this desk. No one else around that he could be talking to.

"Who…who's pregnant?"

He rolled his eyes. "Sloan. That's why she's here. She's pregnant and her mom kicked her out of the house. She didn't have anywhere else to go, so she emptied her bank account and got on a plane to Seattle to meet me."

"Oh, poor kid," Lexie murmured. She closed the chart she was working on and turned fully towards Dr. Sloan. "What else did she say?"

Mark shrugged and crossed his arms. "She was freaking out about what to do. She said that the father was no help and told her to just get an abortion, but she's not sure what she wants to do…it's like it's karmic retribution," he growled, his jaw tightening.

Lexie decided she wasn't touching that subject with a ten-foot-pole. She could read between the lines of what it meant. "Have you made her an appointment with an OB here yet? You could ask for an appointment with a counselor too…just so she knows all her options."

Mark shook his head. "I haven't yet, but I was going to today. I have back to back surgeries that I need to go prepare for though."

"I can go do it." Dr. Sloan looked at her, a bit of distrust in his eyes. "Cristina put me on scut all day today…I can spare a few minutes to go up and make your daughter an appointment with OB. Just page me when you're done with surgery and I can give you the details."

"Why do you want to help me with this, Grey?"

She shrugged. "Why am I the one that you're telling?"

He looked at her, his jaw working, but nothing coming out. "I don't know."

"I don't know either. But I can tell that you need help. And I'm willing to help." She grinned up at him and he shook his head, before smiling back.

"I'll page you when I have a minute. Thank you, Lexie."

"You're welcome, Dr. Sloan."

Making the appointment took just a few minutes and Lexie couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief when she left, glad that no one saw her. Even though her reasons and intentions for being there and helping Dr. Sloan were perfectly innocent, she had a feeling that nearly anyone she encountered would think there was something more going on.

She went about the rest of her day, checking on Cristina's patients and stocking all the supply closets, just waiting for her pager to buzz. Her shift was nearly over by the time it finally did buzz, and Lexie headed towards the nurses station instead of back towards the pit. Dr. Sloan was already standing there, still with his dark blue scrub cap on, furiously scribbling on a chart.

He glanced up at her and his lip curled up in a smirk. Lexie gulped. She could see why so many women had fallen for Dr. Sloan's charms. He was almost painfully attractive. And being the sole object of his focus was overwhelming. She tried to smile back. "I made an appointment for Sloan tomorrow at 11. I figured the two of you could go have lunch afterwards."

His eyebrows jumped up and Lexie tried not to cringe. Overstepping? Was she overstepping? Probably. "Right that's uh…that was thoughtful of you, Grey."

"She'll probably have a lot to process and I just thought she'd probably appreciate some food and some time with you. So you should probably also make sure that you don't have any surgeries scheduled until at least after 2? They said that the appointment and everything would probably take about an hour and a half."

Mark nodded. "And the counselor?"

"She'll be there. It's a part of the hour and a half."

He sighed and crossed his arms. "Right. Good…good. Thank you, Grey.'

She grinned, rocking forward on her toes. "You're welcome, Dr. Sloan." She was about to turn around and head back down the hall when she heard him clear his throat. She turned back around and cocked her head to the side.

"Where…do you think I should take her?"

Lexie grinned. "There are lots of fun restaurants by the Space Needle. And then she could play tourist if you have to come back to the hospital. That way she's not just sitting alone in the hotel room."

"She's sixteen, Grey. I can't just let her wander around Seattle by herself."

Lexie grinned. "I'm sure she'll be fine. And you're sounding an awful lot like a worried dad, Dr. Sloan."

His eyes lit up and Lexie's grin widened.

* * *

A month later…

"Yang, can I have Grey for the day?"

They were about to start rounds when Dr. Sloan came around the corner. The other interns all looked at each other with wide eyes and Lexie couldn't help but blush as Dr. Sloan looked at her and grinned, before looking over to Cristina.

"Uh…yeah. Of course, Dr. Sloan."

He nodded and turned on his heel, taking off down the hallway. Lexie snuck out from around the other interns and jogged after him. "Dr. Sloan?"

He kept walking purposefully, until he took an abrupt left and grabbed Lexie's elbow so she'd follow. He pulled her into an on-call room. Lexie's eyes grew wide. "Dr. Sloan?"

"I'm doing a cleft palate surgery this evening and I'll let you scrub in on it if you do me a favor."

Lexie's eyes narrowed and glanced over at the bunk bed and then looked back at him. "A favor?"

Dr. Sloan's eyes widened, and he shook his head. "Not that type of favor! Jesus, Grey."

Lexie laughed and sighed slightly in relief. "It's just…you have a reputation."

He chuckled and rubbed at his cheek. "Yeah. I probably deserved that. No, I was hoping…I was hoping you could help me with Sloan today, Lexie."

"Is she ok?"

"She's fine. She has an appointment today and I have surgeries all day– I tried and I can't move any of them. I'd just…prefer if she didn't have to take a cab by herself to and from the hospital."

Lexie grinned. "Worried dad. Looks good on you, Dr. Sloan." Mark smirked at her. But then Lexie shook her head. "'But I can't just leave the hospital to be a taxi service!"

Mark crossed his arms and lowered his head slightly, looking up at her. "Grey, you're my intern. You have to do what I tell you. I'm your boss."

"And this has nothing to do with my job. This has to do with you being an overprotective dad."

"Lexie, please?" His bright blues eyes widened, and the look on his face made him look entirely too innocent. She was sure that Mark Sloan hadn't tried to look this innocent in a long, long time.

She pursed her lips and then shook her head. "I can pick her up. Just let me know when her appointment is and I'll get her from the Archfield. But if you don't actually let me scrub in on this surgery, I'm going to be pissed."

He chuckled. "I wouldn't go back on my word like that."

* * *

"McSteamy poached one of my interns today," Cristina said, letting her tray clatter to the table as she sat next to Meredith. Meredith looked up and raised an eyebrow. "Your sister. He asked for her specifically."

Meredith's eyes narrowed. "Mark Sloan asked specifically for Lexie to be on his service?"

Cristina nodded. "And they've been…chatty. Have you noticed that? He talks to her. It's weird."

"I can ask Derek. I think Mark's been freaked out with this whole daughter thing. I know Lexie was the one who brought her to him or whatever, but I think that was just an accident."

"Do you think they're sleeping together?"

Meredith threw her head back and laughed. "Mark Sloan and my sister? He can't stand interns!"

"He liked you. Maybe he has a thing for Grey girls."

"Lexie's too smart to get involved with a guy like Mark. She's a good girl. She's not dark and twisty and slutty like me."

Christina took a bite of her banana and waved it around to make her point. "It's always the good girls who go for the bad boys, Meredith."

"Do you think I should…say something to her? I mean…he's Mark Sloan. She knows that. She was here for the whole nurse thing. It's not like she doesn't know who he is."

Cristina shrugged. "I'm just saying. He asked for Lexie specifically. And then he pulled her into an on-call room. They weren't in there long enough to do anything but, still…weird."

"Huh," Meredith mused as she took another bite of her salad. She absently noted that she'd dropped "half" when she talked about Lexie being her sister. And she did feel some amount of…protectiveness, maybe, towards the younger girl. She sighed. She'd definitely be talking to Derek. And maybe even to Lexie.

* * *

Lexie gripped the wheel tightly as Sloan changed the radio station for the tenth time in a minute. "Can you maybe just pick a station, Sloan? We're only five minutes away from the hospital. You can listen to one station for five minutes."

"Are you sleeping with Mark, or what?"

"What?!" The question literally flew from her lips and she did her best to stay focused on the road and not swing her head towards the girl in her passenger seat.

"This isn't normal. Like you just picking me up because he asked you to? And I know that you're the one who told him to take me to the Space Needle. And he talks about you a lot. Dr. Grey figured out why this guy was having headaches; Dr. Grey can do this impressive surgical thing; Dr. Grey has a photographic memory. I'm just trying to figure it out." The younger girl was staring at her, Lexie could feel her eyes fixed on her.

She could not let a teenager intimidate her and make her nervous. Plus, there was nothing to be nervous about. They were completely professional! He probably talked about her because she was one of the few people in Seattle that Sloan knew. "We work together, Sloan. He's my boss. You scare him and for some reason…for some reason he trusts me with you. So I'm helping him. That's it."

The blonde girl's eyes narrowed, still suspicious. "So…you're not sleeping together?"

"No. No, definitely not. I'm not sleeping with your dad."

"Ok. Fine. This whole dad thing is new enough, I didn't want to have to add a stepmom into the mix. Especially one who's only like 10 years older than I am."

Lexie wrinkled her nose. "I'm only 8 years older than you, Sloan."

"Whatever," the girl replied, reaching for the radio button once again. Lexie sighed. She could see the hospital in the distance. Almost there.

* * *

"How did the appointment go?" Mark asked Sloan that evening. They were eating at a small pizza joint that was just down the street from the Archfield. Mark had discovered it his first week in Seattle and it reminded him of New York, making him feel at home.

"It was fine. Doctor said that the baby's fine and I talked with the counselor for a little bit. We were talking about different types of adoption." She took a big bite of her pizza and looked at him thoughtfully as she chewed. "You're not sleeping with Lexie, right?"

Mark started coughing as his beer went down the wrong pipe at Sloan's unexpected question. After waving off Sloan's concern, he managed to take a few sips of water, and he cleared his throat, his eyes still watering slightly. "Why would you ask that, Sloan? Of course I'm not sleeping with Lexie!"

Sloan grinned and took another bite of pizza. "I just wanted to make sure that your stories matched up. I asked Lexie too. It just seems weird that she's always around and that you seem to trust her so much."

"She's a good intern. She's smart. And she's…she's kind. I trust her. And I'm her boss, so I can make her do things for me." He smirked as Sloan laughed and shook her head.

"I just wanted to make sure. I like her. She…she gave me her number today, as she was driving me back from the appointment. She said that I could call her if I needed someone to talk to, other than you. Or if I wanted to get out of the hotel. She's really nice."

Mark grinned. "Yeah. She is." Sloan's eyes narrowed at her dad's thoughtful tone and he quickly cleared his throat and shook his head. "And I'm definitely not sleeping with her."

Sloan nodded. "Ok."


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mark puts down roots for Sloan. Sloan discovers Lexie's secret.

"Do you think I should get a place?" Mark sat down next to Lexie as she ate her lunch. By now it was a fairly common occurrence, it barely even registered on anyone's radar anymore. Dr. Sloan ate with Dr. Torres, Dr. Shepherd, or Dr. Grey, or Little Grey as he had dubbed her. That was it. If anyone else tried to approach him he'd either stare at them until they went away or he'd just get up and leave.

Lexie shrugged. "I mean…yes? It's a little weird that you've been in Seattle for over a year and you still live in a hotel. Has Sloan thought any more about where she wants to live?"

"I don't know. She's talking to her mom again, which is good. She started up her online classes so that she doesn't fall behind. And I just want to be prepared – I want her to know that if she wants to stay, she has a place." Mark took a bite of his sandwich and chewed thoughtfully before looking at Lexie. "Should I buy a house?"

Grinning, Lexie reached over and stole a potato chip from the bag on Mark's tray. He glared at her and she giggled, popping the chip in her mouth. "I think getting out of the hotel would be a good idea. House or condo or whatever. I think it'd be a good idea."

Mark nodded and took another bite of his sandwich, grabbing his bag of chips when Lexie made another move for them. "I found a place that seems pretty promising. You want to come and see it with me?"

Lexie made a face and sighed. "I'm on another 36 today. I bet that Derek would go. He's into houses! He's got the dream house plans and everything."

Mark nodded and offered her the bag of chips. Lexie reached in a grabbed a few, grinning brightly. "So what's up with you and Cristina today?"

Mark grumbled and grabbed the chip bag back. If Lexie didn't know better, she'd say he was pouting. "Derek. He's sick of your sister talking on the phone with Cristina all night so he…he asked me to…try and distract her. At night."

Lexie bit her lip in an attempt not to laugh. "Derek's….pimping you out?"

Mark slumped in his seat. "Makes it even worse when you say it like that. It's like she's completely oblivious. How can she not even want to flirt with me?"

Lexie shook her head again and laughed, reaching over to pat Mark on the shoulder. "Tough break, buddy. Best of luck to you. I am off to go catch a quick nap in the on-call room before heading down to the tunnels…I mean. Uh, checking on Cristina's post-ops. Not in the tunnels. Definitely not."

Mark's eyes narrowed in suspicion, but Lexie just grinned at him. His furrowed brow smoothed and he grinned wickedly at her. "Want some company in that on-call room, Grey?"

"In your dreams, Dr. Sloan," she threw over her shoulder, glad that he couldn't see her cheeks burn at the thought of it.

"Is it because I've got a kid now? What is wrong?" Mark murmured to himself, dejectedly finishing the rest of his potato chips.

* * *

The place that Mark saw with Derek was great and he had made a cash offer that day. Things had moved quickly and three weeks later, he and Sloan were moving in. It was going to take a while for his stuff from New York to get there, so the moving process itself was going slowly.

Sloan had called Lexie on her day off, asking her if she wanted to go shopping for some house stuff with her – Mark had given her his credit card and told her that she was free to get whatever she wanted, within reason. Lexie guessed that she would have to be the one acting with reason.

They were on their way to a Bed, Bath, and Beyond and Lexie had to wonder for a moment how her one day off this week had turned into a shopping excursion with her boss's pregnant sixteen-year-old daughter. This definitely wasn't anywhere in her ten-year plan.

"I feel so fat," Sloan complained, slumping in her seat and absently rubbing at her stomach.

"You're not fat, Sloan. You're pregnant. Your body is changing because you're growing a baby."

The younger girl sighed. "I'm so getting an IUD once I pop this kid out. The pill isn't screwing me over again."

Lexie had to bite her lip to not laugh. "So your dad said that you're talking to your mom again…that's good."

Sloan nodded absently. "She's…she's still disappointed in me, but she's proud of me for deciding on adoption and starting up my online classes. But I'm not ready to move back with her…and she hasn't offered." Sloan paused and glanced over at Lexie. "Mark's not getting tired of me, right?"

Lexie grinned and shook her head. "Sloan, he just bought a house so that you don't have to stay in a hotel until the baby comes. He might not win any Father of the Year awards, but he's really trying. He doesn't want you to leave if you're not ready to."

She glanced over at Sloan, who nodded. She was rubbing her baby bump and she grinned softly, looking up over at Lexie. "Thanks for helping with everything, Lexie. I don't think…I don't think he would have reacted nearly as well if you weren't around. I really sprung all of this on him and…I think you've been a big help."

Lexie smiled and shrugged. "I'm glad that I could help. And I'm glad that you're getting this opportunity to get to know him. I haven't known your dad for very long but…I think he's a good guy."

* * *

Lexie was pushing the cart of stuff around the store, letting Sloan have basically free rein. Every now and then she'd find herself sounding like her mother, asking Sloan if she really thought she needed whatever she had in her hands. They were standing in front of the some of the clearance merchandise when Lexie reached for a pillow that was in front of Sloan, letting her sleeve ride up her arm and expose some of her sutures.

"Oh my god, what happened to you?" Sloan exclaimed, grabbing Lexie's wrist and pushing up the sleeve further, exposing the rest of her sutured arm.

Lexie gasped and jerked her hand out of Sloan's grasp, dropping the pillow to the ground. She tugged her sleeve back down. "Sloan!" she hissed out.

"Lexie, you look like freaking Frankenstein! What is wrong with you? Are you like sick or something? Did that guy you live with do that to you? Are you cutting yourself?" Sloan's eyes were actually worried and Lexie softened a bit.

"It's nothing, Sloan. I promise. It's just practice. I'm practicing my sutures."

The other girl's eyes narrowed. "Aren't you like…not supposed to do that on yourself? Mark's arms don't look like that."

Lexie sighed, tugging nervously at her sleeve. "You can't tell your dad about what you saw, Sloan. You're right…I shouldn't be practicing on myself, but…my teacher isn't teaching me. So I've resorted to teaching myself. I'm just trying to learn how to be a good doctor."

Sloan's lips pursed and she studied Lexie. "You shouldn't be cutting yourself, Lexie. Can't you like…tell Mark that your teacher isn't teaching you? He could teach you, couldn't he?"

Lexie shrugged. "He's my boss's boss. I shouldn't really be going directly to him…it makes my boss mad when the interns go to the attendings. It makes her look bad." Lexie sighed. "It's…it's complicated, Sloan. But I'm fine. You just have to promise not to tell your dad, ok?"

Sloan sighed and she stared at Lexie. Slowly, she nodded. "Ok. I won't tell Mark that you're cutting yourself. But like…you'd tell someone if you needed help, right, Lexie? I had a friend who cut herself in middle school after her parents got divorced and then she tried to swallow a handful of her mom's sleeping pills and had to get her stomach pumped."

Lexie shook her head and smiled at Sloan. "I promise you, it's not like that, Sloan." She rubbed the other girl's shoulder and then looked around, trying to find something to take her mind off of the current topic of conversation. "Hey, the bathroom stuff is over there – do you want to go take a look?"

Sloan laughed. "I know what you're trying to do, but I do want to go take a look, so it's working."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm hoping that Sloan doesn't seem too out of character. I imagined that a 16 year old Sloan might be a little softer than an 18 year old Sloan, and she'd have a different relationship with Mark and Lexie. Hope that you enjoyed! I love hearing what you think.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mark's there for Lexie after her cabal of secret cutter interns is discovered. And they realize that their friendship might be a little more than friendship.

Mark managed to get Ivy Soltanoff to finally sleep and he'd left her in the empty bed in her dad's room. He'd changed in the attendings' locker room and headed out into the lobby. He'd heard murmurings of what was going on down in outpatient surgery and he knew that it was true the second that he saw Lexie sitting in the waiting room, her knees curled up to her chest.

Lexie sighed as Mark sat down next to her. "What the hell were you thinking, Lex?"

She shook her head. "I don't…I don't know." Her voice was thick, and he could tell she was trying not to cry. "I can't…go back to the apartment with George. I can't. But I don't…I don't…."

He stood up and offered her his hand. "Come on. Come home with me. We just got the beds in a couple of days ago, so there's a nice new bed in the guest room."

Lexie shook her head. "Mark, I don't know if I can…if I can deal with Sloan right now. She's just…she's great, but she's a lot. I just…I need to be alone." Her lip trembled and she curled in towards her knees, resting her chin on her knees.

He looked up and saw Derek at the nurses station. "I'll be right back, Lex," he murmured, catching Derek's eye and making his way over to him.

"Hey, do me a favor?" Derek crossed his arms and nodded at Mark. "Will you take Lexie home with you? She doesn't want to go back to her apartment, and she doesn't want to have to see Sloan if she comes home with me. So will you take her home? Please Derek?"

Derek smiled and nodded. "You really like her, don't you?"

Mark shrugged. "She's my friend, Derek. I care. And I don't know what the hell she was thinking doing this, but I know she shouldn't be alone tonight. So can you please just take her home with you?"

"Yeah, we can find some room for her." He smiled at Mark. "You're a good friend, Mark."

He trailed behind Derek as he approached Lexie and smiled as she nodded as Derek spoke. She glanced over to him and smiled, before mouthing 'thank you' before following Derek out of the hospital.

* * *

He found her in her favorite supply closet, doing some of Yang's charts. She looked up when he opened the door and just sighed, looked down at the charts in front of her. He shut the door behind him and dropped to the floor across from her. "What the hell happened, Lexie?"

She shook her head. "They weren't teaching us. It's no wonder that we're number twelve now, because our residents refuse to teach us! And they get mad if we go above their heads to the attendings – they're so self-centered! So we took matters into our own hands. And we messed up but…what else were we supposed to do?"

"Lexie, you almost killed Sadie."

She finally looked up at him, her eyes narrow. "I know that, Mark. Obviously. I was terrified in there. I let her goad me into the surgery…it was so stupid. I never used to be this stupid." She bit her lip and looked back down at her charts. "It seems like ever since I came back to Seattle, all I've done is screw up."

"Hey-" Mark's leg straightened, and he knocked her foot with his. "You're a good intern, Lex. You've got good instincts and you're smart as hell. This was…massively stupid and you shouldn't have let Sadie get under your skin, but…you're not a screw-up."

She sighed and he knocked her foot again, so she would look up at him. "Next time you want to learn something, just come to me. Ok? No more cutting into dead bodies or yourself. Jesus, Lex…I'm sorry I didn't notice. I've been so caught up with Sloan and the baby and the house…I've been a bad friend."

Lexie offered him a soft smile. "We're friends?"

Mark's brow furrowed and he shook his head slightly. "Of course we are. Don't be an idiot, Grey. We're friends, which is why you're going to come over for dinner at my place tonight. It'll do you good to get out of that frat house that you're staying in now."

She smiled softly. "I haven't seen it all unpacked yet. And it does get…loud and just…a lot at Meredith's."

Mark nodded and got to his feet. "You staying in the closet, Lex, or are you coming out to face the world?"

Lexie glanced to the door and back to Mark. "I think I'll stay here a little longer. Cristina's ignoring me either way, so I might as well have some peace and quiet to get these done." Mark chuckled and nodded, heading towards the door.

"What time do you get off? We can just head to the house once you're done, if you want? I'm happy to drive you back to Meredith's afterwards."

"I get off at 6. And I'll actually be done on time because I can't do anything."

Mark chuckled and nodded. "Meet you down in the lobby after your shift ends, then." Lexie nodded and smiled up at him before he left her to her charts.

* * *

"I have to go do some stupid reading for my assignment," Sloan said as she finished her meal, sighing and getting up from the table. "I'll see you later, Lexie. It was really good to see you – glad you're not going to be cutting yourself open anymore! Night!" she exclaimed, waving to the two of them.

Lexie shook her head at and waved back. "I can help you clean up," she said, grabbing the plates from the table and taking them over to the sink.

"You don't have to do that," Mark said, following her and glancing over at the pans on the stove.

"I want to. You can tell me all about skin grafts you were doing today."

Lexie washed as Mark dried and the conversation flowed steadily as they worked. If anyone had told Lexie Grey six months ago that she would be standing in the kitchen of Mark Sloan's new home, just hanging out with him, she would have laughed in their face. She would have said that Mark Sloan had absolutely zero interest in her.

But somehow…Mark Sloan had become one of her best friends. She talked to him way more often than she talked to George, who was supposedly one of her best friends. And the man that she was in love with. But even that…things had changed since George had become a resident. They'd both changed.

And when Mark offered her a beer, Lexie didn't have to think twice before accepting. She knew that Mark didn't have any surgeries until the afternoon, so she didn't have to feel bad about keeping him up.

"The house is looking great. It's really coming together – feels like a home now that it's fully furnished," she teased, looking around the house.

"It feels weird to put down roots. Like…I own a home. It feels so final."

"You're a grown-up, Mark Sloan." She grinned and pointed her beer bottle at him. "You have a house and you have a kid…you're a grown up."

He wrinkled his nose. "Ugh."

"And you like…haven't slept with any nurses in months." She hit his shoulder and he laughed. Lexie curled her legs underneath her. "Actually…have you slept with anyone in the last few months? Since Sloan came?"

Mark sighed. "There were a couple of women from Joe's…it felt weird to bring them back to my hotel room because Sloan is absolutely horrible at knocking and I had given her a key to my room. And now that we're in the house…I don't know. It feels weird."

"Who even are you?" Lexie teased, leaning in and bumping against his shoulder. She overestimated her balance and ended up leaning in further than she had planned – if it wasn't for Mark catching her, she would have ended up sprawled in his lap. She giggled and looked up at Mark, getting ready to thank him, but when she locked eyes with him, it was suddenly like the air had been sucked out of the room.

He was gripping her arm tightly, helping to keep her upright. His bright blue eyes were totally focused on hers and there was something in them that she had never seen before. Maybe it was just because they were talking about sex and he was realizing just how long he'd gone without…but it looked like he wanted to devour her.

Her fingers tightened around his arm as she continued to look up at him. "Mark?" she asked softly. His gaze darted down to her lips and Lexie gulped, nervously licking them and then belatedly realizing that wasn't going to help at all, as his eyes stayed focused on the movement of her tongue. "Mark?"

When she repeated his name, he seemed to come back to his senses. He pushed her up, getting her upright again and she set the beer bottle down on the table before laughing nervously. "I think that's probably my cue to go. That last beer is…a doozy apparently." But before she could get up off the couch, Mark grabbed her elbow and tugged her close.

"I'm sorry, Lex. I wasn't…I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."

She nervously tucked her hair behind her ears. "You didn't. It's fine, Mark. Nothing happened. It's not like you kissed me or anything."

She was studiously avoiding his gaze, so it took her by surprise when she felt his palm against her cheek. She looked up at him and that intense look was back on his face. "Would it be so bad if I did?"

"Mark, we're…we're friends…you don't…like me like that. You don't think of me that way…do you?"

His thumb was stroking her cheek now and he leaned in just a little bit closer, still keeping his eyes locked on hers. "Lexie…you're a beautiful woman. Men like me always think of women like you like that…whether we want to admit it or not."

"Oh," she whispered, unconsciously tilting her head up and bringing her lips just that much closer to his.

Suddenly the stairs behind them creaked and Lexie jumped away from him like he was on fire. Mark sighed and shook his head as Sloan came into the room. "Oh hey, Lexie! I didn't know you were still here. Just forgot my charger." The girl crossed in front of them and grabbed the charger from the wall outlet and then glanced back at them. "Are you guys ok?"

"We're fine, Sloan," Mark said, which Lexie was extremely grateful for, since she imagined if she tried to reply, nothing would come out but a high-pitched squeaking noise.

Sloan's eyes narrowed as she looked between the two of them. "Yeah…you're both bad liars, but I'm not going to get into this." She turned and headed back towards the staircase, going back up to her room.

Mark and Lexie were left alone, staring at one another. "I should…I should go," Lexie murmured.

"Lex, I'm sorry."

She grinned and shook her head. "You don't have to be. Please…don't be sorry, Mark." She bit her lip and looked up at him through her lashes. "But I really should go."

"I can still take you home, if you want, Lexie."

She grinned and nodded. "Yeah…yeah, I'd appreciate that, Mark."

He nodded. "Let me just go let Sloan know and then we can be out of here."

The ride was quiet, but it didn't feel quite as awkward as Lexie was expecting it to. It seemed like Mark was trying desperately to keep her at ease after their near…whatever on the couch and his confession that he thought she was a beautiful woman.

Luckily, it wasn't a long drive to Meredith's house. He pulled into the driveway and parked the car, turning to Lexie as she gathered up her stuff. He reached out and braced himself on the back of her seat. "Lex, we're…we're good, right?"

She smiled. "Yeah. We're good, Mark. I promise." She leaned forward impulsively, brushing her lips against his cheek. She pulled back slightly, still in his space, and locked eyes with him. "Thanks for the ride."

His hand came up and his thumb brushed against her cheek gently. She closed her eyes and sighed softly. "Now's the part where you get out of the car, Little Grey," he murmured.

She laughed softly and opened her eyes, locking her gaze with his, still staying close to him. "Thanks for being my friend, Mark."

"Is this what friends do?"

" _I_ think so. Every friendship is different," she teased. She finally sat back in her seat and took a deep breath, reaching for the door handle. "See you tomorrow?"

He nodded. "See you tomorrow. I'll try and get you on my service. Have a surgery that I think you'll want in on."

Lexie shook her head. "Mark, I'm still not allowed in the OR."

He shrugged, leaning back in his seat. "If anyone asks, you're on cappuccino duty."

She giggled and opened the door, stepping out into the cool night air. "Yes sir. See you tomorrow. I'll make sure to even go to the good coffee cart to get your cappuccino."

"And that's why you're my favorite intern."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you all enjoyed just a little bit of heat! The slow-ish burn will be cranking up in the next few chapters.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sloan makes an unexpected proposal and discussions about the past, present, and future are had.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope that you're all still enjoying this! These next few chapters are some of my favorites. 
> 
> Just a note, I have no clue about the finer points of adoption - everything in this story is basically what I've gleaned from pop culture. Please forgive the inaccuracies!

It was one of the rare nights that Lexie had off and Mark had it off as well, so Lexie was over having dinner with him and Sloan. The dinners had become a semi-regular thing; Mark and Sloan got along well enough, but Lexie knew that he liked having her over to serve as a sort of buffer between the two of them. Sloan had an appointment earlier that day with her adoption counselor, Catherine, that she'd been working with throughout her pregnancy and they had started to narrow down potential adoptive parents.

Sloan was chatting about all of them – a couple in Seattle, a couple in Portland, and a couple in San Francisco were currently at the top of her list. But she suddenly got quiet, her eyes filling up with tears as she rubbed at her belly. "What if I don't want to give him up? I mean…I've been growing him and protecting him for almost six months now and how can I just give him to someone else? How do I know that they'll take care of him?"

Lexie's eyes grew wide as she looked over at Mark, who looked similarly blindsided by her sudden outburst. "Sloan, you've been working with Catherine on finding the perfect couple to adopt him. You know that there's lots of visits and procedures that people have to go through. They'll take care of him."

"But I won't know for sure! Because I won't be there. He won't be with me and I can't keep him safe!" Sloan's eyes widened and she looked at them excitedly. "Hey! What if you guys took him? You could raise him, and I'd know he was safe and I could maybe see him sometimes?"

Lexie looked over at Mark, her eyes growing wider as he just stared back at her. She shook her head and looked back at Sloan. She reached out and rubbed Sloan's shoulder. "Sweetie, I'm not…ready for a baby. Not right now. I'm just an intern. And we can't take him because there's no…we." She gestured with her hands between herself and Mark. She looked at him for backup, but he still was dumbstruck.

"Your dad and I are friends. And we're both so busy. We can't raise a baby, not the way you want him to be raised. You want him to have parents who will go to every single soccer game and are able to help him with his homework and can sew him Halloween costumes." Sloan leaned forward, resting her head against Lexie's shoulder and Lexie rubbed her hand along the girl's back. "You're giving him a chance at that life if you give him up, Sloan. And you're giving yourself a chance at a life too."

Sloan nodded, wiping away the tears that had fallen. "You're right. You're right, Lexie. I have a plan. Catherine is helping me with a plan. And you guys…you'll be there for me, right? After the baby?"

Lexie nodded, hugging Sloan tightly. "We will. Right, Mark?"

At hearing his name, it seemed like Mark snapped out of his shocked state and he looked at Lexie, then at Sloan, and he nodded. He reached out to Sloan and rubbed her shoulder. "Of course. We're here for you, Sloan."

After Sloan had calmed down, she excused herself, going back up to her room and leaving Lexie and Mark by themselves downstairs. Lexie was helping him clean up, like they usually did when she had dinner at his house. After he handed her the last dish to dry, she turned, leaning back against the counter.

He wasn't looking at her, his hands were fiddling with the dishtowel instead. Lexie sighed, crossing her arms against her chest. "You froze back there, Mark. Just totally froze when she suggested we take the baby."

"Yeah, I'm…I'm sorry," he murmured.

"What happened?"

He shook his head. "I just…I had a moment of wondering…if I wanted to take her up on it. If I wanted to raise my grandson." He finally glanced up her, trying to gauge her reaction.

Lexie's eyes were wide. "Really?"

He nodded. "Yeah…I just…you know about Addison, right? Me and Addison?"

She nodded, looking down at the counter. "Yeah. I mean…I know enough? She was married to Dr. Shepherd, you guys…had a relationship, and then she moved to Seattle to try and get back with Dr. Shepherd. You moved here to try and get her back."

He smirked, tossing the towel onto the counter. "The Seattle Grace rumor mill comes through again." Lexie nodded and shrugged. Mark turned, leaning back against the counter next to her.

"It wasn't just…an affair. I was in love with her. And right before she left…she was pregnant with my kid. I never thought about kids…about me having kids. But when she told me - I was excited. I went out and bought a onesie and a calendar so we could put all the appointments on it." He sighed again and shook his head. Part of him wanted to look at Lexie to see her reaction, but the other part couldn't take the pity that he'd surely see in her eyes.

"She terminated the pregnancy. She didn't tell me until after it was done….it was the right call. She didn't want my kid. And then she told me that I would have made a terrible father."

Lexie reached out and rubbed his shoulder until he looked up at her. "Mark. You are not a terrible father. You're supporting Sloan through this pregnancy and the adoption process…and you knew nothing about her for the first sixteen years of her life. You are a good dad, Mark."

"But a baby? I couldn't take care of a baby…"

Lexie shrugged. "It'd be hard. You're at the hospital all the time." She sighed. "I don't think…that you can count yourself out, Mark. But I don't think this is the way you'd want to approach fatherhood. And I think Sloan…I think she needs a clean break. Even though she's panicking now, I don't think it'd be a good idea for you to have custody. For any of you."

She tilted her head and studied him carefully. "Do you really want a baby?"

He shrugged. "I was hurt when Addison made the decision. I was hurt. And back then…I don't think I could do it. I was a mess - I was sleeping around, even when I was with her. But I'm…stable here. I'm not that guy anymore. And I'm turning 40 next year and it's making me reconsider my life, Lexie. I want a family. I don't want to end up alone."

Lexie smiled softly at him. "Mark…you have a family. You have Sloan. You have Derek."

Mark shook his head. "You don't know what it's like, Lexie. You had what you were telling Sloan about…you had the parents that would show up to soccer games and make you Halloween costumes. I had a taste of that with Derek's family, but it was never the same. I always knew it was never the same. I want…I want to be a part of that. And I love Sloan and the Shepherds. But it's not the same."

Lexie nodded and reached out, grabbing his hand. "I know. I know it's not the same. But Mark…for what it's worth…you're not alone. You know that, right?"

"Lex…"

Lexie grinned softly at him, placing a hand on his arm. "We're friends, remember?"

He turned to her, backing her against the counter just a little bit. Lexie looked up at him, her eyes widening just a fraction. "Just friends, Little Grey?"

"Mark…" her hands came up and pressed against his chest slightly. "Are we really doing this again?"

"Every friendship is different, right, Lexie? Who's to say that ours can't have a little kissing?" He leaned into her, crowding her against the counter.

Lexie grinned, glancing down, her cheeks flushing. "I don't think that you usually stop at kissing, Mark."

He hovered for a moment, his gaze staying intense, before backing away and leaning back against the counter again. "You're right. I don't." He rubbed his hands over his face. "God, I'm sorry, Lexie. I don't know what I'm doing anymore. I don't know what I want."

"You don't have to figure it out now. But I don't think that you should adopt Sloan's baby. And honestly, I don't think that she really wants you to. She was just scared." He glanced over at her and she smiled encouragingly at him. "But…you have time. You're turning 40. You're not dead." She reached out and squeezed his hand and he smiled at her.

"Thanks, Lex. You're a good friend."

She grinned at him. "Yeah…told you so. You're lucky to have me."

* * *

Samantha had invited Sloan out for the holidays and while anxious about it, Sloan had clearly been excited about the olive branch. She'd left a few days ago for her mom's place and Lexie and Mark had seen her off at the airport.

"You think she'll come back?"

They were sitting on the couch, and both of them were only halfway watching the football game that Mark had invited her over to watch. Lexie turned to him and smiled softly. "Her doctor is here. And she really likes working with Catherine as her adoption counselor. She'll be back."

"I'm worried about her flying on a plane," Mark murmured, shaking his head and rubbing his face. "I'm a doctor and I know that medically it's fine but…I can't help but worry about her getting back on a plane. So part of me hopes that she doesn't come back and the other part of me…I know I'd worry more if she stays with Samantha."

Lexie rubbed his shoulder. "You've really taken to this worried dad thing like a duck to water, Mark Sloan. You have from the start." He looked up at her and gave her a half-hearted smile. "She's spending the holidays with her mom. And she might move back when she gives up the baby…that's where her friends are. That's where a lot of her family is. But you're her family too. And we have a plan here. She might not be here forever, Mark. She definitely won't. She's sixteen, she'll be starting her life soon, going to college or whatever, but she'll always be your daughter. And she will always remember how you've been here for her."

Mark smiled at her and nodded. "You're right. You're right, Lex…it'll be weird to not have her here. I mean, I bought this house so that we'd have plenty of space and not get in each other's way. But trying to imagine her not being here…makes it feel empty."

Lexie chuckled and leaned back, curling up on the couch. "You could become the new Meredith. Take in strays."

Mark rolled his eyes and Lexie couldn't help but giggle. "Yeah right."

She grinned. "The house is an investment in your future. I'm sure it won't stay empty for long." Mark nodded, looking rather serious. He opened his mouth to say something, but suddenly Lexie's phone started ringing, breaking the mood between them.

Grabbing the phone from the table, Lexie's brow furrowed. "It's Sloan," she said, picking it up and hitting the 'answer' button. "Hey Sloan! What's up?"

"I'm meeting up with my friends tonight and I'm freaking out. I'm freaking out because I think that Brandon's going to be there. And he probably has some slutty new girlfriend and this is not how I wanted to see him again! Not while I'm six months pregnant and gross and hormonal!" Sloan's voice kept going higher and higher as she got more and more distressed while she ranted to Lexie.

Mark was watching her with a furrowed brow, obviously concerned that his daughter had called Lexie instead of him. Lexie grinned at him and mouthed 'girl stuff,' before walking out to the hallway, leaving Mark alone in the family room. "Sloan, breathe. Just breathe. You know that getting all worked up isn't going to help."

"I don't want to see him, Lexie. I don't know what to say to him. What do you say to the guy who knocked you up and then told you to get rid of it?"

Lexie sighed. "I honestly don't know, Sloan. But if your friends are inviting him out with you guys…they're not very good friends."

"Tell me about it," the girl murmured. "At least Keisha and Mary are in my corner. They think he's scum."

"Well good! Make sure you stick close to them all night. And Sloan, you have the perfect excuse to leave early. You're six months pregnant. Milk it. If it gets too weird, just say that you're tired and you need to go back home. No one needs to know that you're just tired of seeing Brandon's dumb face." At that, Sloan laughed, and Lexie smiled at the sound.

Sloan took a deep breath. "You're right. You're so right, Lexie. Thank you. Thanks for talking me off a cliff. My mom's at work and I didn't know who else to call."

Lexie grinned. "You can always call me, Sloan."

"Are you over at the house?"

"Yep, I am. We were watching football. I think your dad is lonely without you here."

Sloan laughed. "Well tell him hi. I'll call him later tonight." There was a brief pause on Sloan's end. "And you're still not sleeping with him, right?"

Lexie laughed and shook her head. "Sloan! No! I'm not. We're not."

"Just making sure! You guys have been weird lately."

"We have not been weird," Lexie said, trying desperately to convince the girl that they weren't being weird, even though they were completely being weird. She sighed.

"You're still a bad liar. Ok, I have to go get ready. I'm at least going to go and do my hair and makeup so I don't look like a total trainwreck. I'll talk to you later, Lexie. And seriously…thank you again."

"You're welcome, Sloan. Talk to you later."

She hung up and walked back into the family room and smiled at Mark, who was desperately trying to look like he hadn't been attempting to eavesdrop on the conversation. "She's fine, worrywart. She was just freaking out. She thinks that Brandon is going to be at this get-together tonight."

Mark grumbled as Lexie sat down beside him on the couch. "I can't believe that he'd even show his face if he knew that she was going to be there."

Lexie shrugged. "They're sixteen and idiots, Mark. It's like the drama of the hospital but multiplied by ten because of all the teenage hormones. She said that her friends Keisha and Mary would be there, and they'd back her up. I reminded her that she has the perfect excuse to leave early."

Mark smiled at her. "Thank you, Lexie. You're a good friend. To me and to Sloan."

She smirked. "I told you so. I'm a great friend, Mark."

He chuckled and shook his head. Lexie bit her lip, shifting slightly to curl her legs underneath her. "Hey…you're coming over to Meredith's for Christmas, right?"

He nodded. "Yep. Why?"

Lexie shrugged. "Nothing it's just…I mean, I know you're Derek's friend, but…everyone else that will be there, they're all Meredith's friends. And I'm friendly enough with them, but it'll be nice to have you there too. It'll be nice to have a friendly face." She settled back against the couch, grinning at him before focusing back on the game.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It might be snowy and cold in Seattle this Christmas, but things are just starting to heat up between Lexie and Mark. Derek has some thoughts about their friendship.

Lexie grinned brightly as she opened the door and saw Mark standing there. "Merry Christmas!" She cried out, enveloping him in a hug before he even knew what hit him. He quickly wrapped his arms around her, holding her maybe just a bit longer than he should have. When they finally broke apart, he couldn't help but admire the faint blush on her cheeks…he told himself it was just because she was still standing with the door open and it was freezing outside.

She quickly moved aside and let him in, shutting the door behind him. "We're just waiting for George now," she told him as she took his coat and then pointed him over to the tree to drop off his white elephant gift for the night.

"Ooooh, is he gonna get a warmer welcome than I did?" Mark teased. Lexie rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"You know he's been a dick to me for the past few months. He's still convinced we're sleeping together. And he's pissed at me for moving out which…I get. That was a shitty thing for me to do. But I just couldn't…I couldn't be there anymore."

Mark reached out and rubbed her shoulder. "Lex, you know you don't have to explain yourself to me. I'm not one of his little buddies. I'm on your side."

She grinned up at him. "Thanks, Mark. Have you heard from Sloan today?"

"Yeah she called me. Told me to tell you hello. She said it's still going well – her mom seems to be really happy that she's home and is really proud of the work she's been doing."

"Good. That's great, I'm glad to hear it. We were texting a little bit this morning, but then I got pulled into the kitchen with Izzie."

Mark nodded and looked around. "I'm gonna go get a drink. See you later?"

Lexie nodded and grinned. "I'll probably be in the kitchen. Come and find me if you get tired of playing nice." Mark chuckled and shook his head as Lexie beamed at him.

* * *

Derek entered the kitchen to find Lexie sitting at the kitchen table, writing out little slips of paper with numbers on them. "What're you up to, Little Grey?"

She grinned as she looked up at him. "Oh! I thought we should do the white elephant gift exchange before everyone got too drunk. I'm writing out the numbers for everyone."

"That's great!" Derek paused, taking a sip of his scotch as he examined Lexie. "Hey uh….Mark hasn't tried to make a pass at you, right? With all the time you've been spending with him and Sloan…" he trailed off and awkwardly rubbed at the back of his neck.

Lexie looked up and narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "Did Meredith put you up to this?"

He chuckled. "No. No, she didn't. I just…I know Mark. And he's a good guy but sometimes…he thinks with the wrong head. And I think you're actually good for him. And for Sloan. And I just want to make sure he's not messing it up."

"You think I'm good for him, but he'd mess it up by hitting on me?"

Derek chuckled. "I just think…Mark needs a friend he hasn't slept with."

"Isn't that what he has you for?" Her eyes widened and she slapped her hand across her mouth as Derek shot her a look.

But he broke after a few seconds and chuckled, shaking his head. "There's always a level of competition between Mark and me. That's how it's always been. He needs someone that he can just talk to without having these…expectations of them. Or of himself. I think that that's who you are to him. And I just want to make sure that he doesn't go messing it up for himself."

Lexie grinned. "That's actually sort of sweet, Derek."

"Don't you dare tell him," he threatened her playfully.

Lexie held up her right hand. "I swear I won't." She chewed her lip thoughtfully as Derek took another sip of his drink. "But it's good to know that you're looking out for him too. I don't know how, but…Mark's one of my best friends. He's a great guy."

Derek smiled. "Yeah. He is. But again, don't tell him. His ego is inflated enough."

Lexie smiled, knowing that Derek was wrong. When it came to stuff like that, Mark's infamous ego was nowhere to be found. But even that knowledge gave Lexie a flutter of…something, knowing that she saw parts of Mark that even his best friend from childhood didn't see.

Lexie looked down at her numbers and smiled. "I think I have everyone! Ready for the gift exchange?"

Derek grinned at her and handed her the bowl on the table so she could throw all the numbers into it. "Ready to go, Little Grey."

* * *

By the time everyone was leaving, snow was coming down, covering everything in a soft white blanket. Cristina and Owen were fine in his truck, and George had a 4-Runner that would be just fine in the snow. Mark looked despondently out at the roads as Derek clapped him on the back. "Told you that sports car was idiotic. You're welcome to the couch."

Mark groaned. "God, it's like med school all over again." Derek chuckled and retreated into the living room, where Meredith and Izzie were still chatting.

Lexie couldn't help but laugh as he shut the door and turned to her. "What're you laughing at, Little Grey?" he murmured, stepping closer to her.

"Just the thought of you sleeping on Derek's couch in med school. I'm guessing it wasn't for the same reasons?"

"No, usually there was a lot more alcohol involved," he replied, before glancing up. "That wasn't there earlier tonight."

Lexie looked up to where he was pointing and saw the small sprig of mistletoe above them. "I think Izzie had some. Mer told her not to put it up, but…guess she must have ignored that."

Mark chuckled before reaching out and grabbing Lexie around the waist. Her hands flew up to his chest, resting comfortably against his shirt. She giggled, shaking her head as he grinned down at her playfully. "C'mon, Grey. We can't just ignore tradition."

"This is your favorite holiday tradition, isn't it?"

His eyes sparkled. "Can neither confirm nor deny that, Lex. I do love getting presents though." The way he said 'presents' sent a shiver up her spine and she blushed slightly, knowing exactly what sort of gifts had probably been bestowed upon him in years past.

"One kiss. And then I'm going up to bed." He raised a suggestive eyebrow at her and she giggled again. "Alone! Alone, Mark! You are incorrigible!"

He laughed again, before bringing a hand up, gently tilting her chin up to him. She was grinning at him, but her laughter quieted as she took in his suddenly serious expression. He leaned towards her slowly, giving her a chance to back away if she wanted to. But her fingers curled in the material of his shirt as she tilted her head back just a little further for him. His lips met hers, gently, chastely, but it sent a shiver up Lexie's spine. He tilted his head and pressed his lips firmly against hers, opening his lips just enough so she could feel his breath against her lips and just a hint of his tongue.

He pulled away and Lexie was sure that she must have looked like a fish out of water. "Just a kiss. I can stop," he said, reminding her of how she thought he couldn't stop at just kissing. "Merry Christmas, Lexie Grey," he whispered.

"Merry Christmas, Mark," she replied automatically. She realized she was still clutching at his shirt and she released him, giggling self-consciously as she ran her hands over his chest, smoothing out the imprints she'd left. "I should uh…go see if they need help cleaning up."

Mark just nodded, watching her quickly flee to the kitchen. "Fuck," he murmured quietly to himself, running his hands through his hair. He crossed his arms then and brought a hand up to his mouth, his fingers trailing over his lips thoughtfully. "Fuck."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have had a fairly terrible week, but you could make it better by letting me know what you think! :)


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mark and Lexie start the new year off with a bang.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The chapter that you've all been waiting for! Hope that you enjoy! This week is a bit of a rough one for me and your comments really do brighten my day. Happy reading!

They found themselves in suspiciously similar circumstances a week later. It was New Year's Eve – Alex, Izzie, and George were on call, but the rest of them were back at Meredith's, getting spectacularly drunk. Lexie was definitely drunker than she'd been at Christmas. She blamed Mark.

He kept…staring at her. He'd been normal at the start of the night - they'd talked about Sloan and when she was coming back and then about the burn graft that she'd watched him do the other day. At one point, Meredith had drifted over to them and Lexie gleefully soaked up the fact that Meredith had sought her out. And every time she glanced over at Mark, when he was being suspiciously quiet, he seemed to be staring at her. He'd notice that she had noticed and would quickly smile at her, usually taking a sip of the ever-present scotch in his hand.

Lexie offered to help Meredith pour the champagne just to get out of his line of sight. And Meredith definitely noticed. "So what's up with you and Mark?"

Lexie shook her head, grabbing a bottle of champagne from the counter. "Nothing! Nothing's going on with me and Mark. Why? Why would you think something's going on?"

Meredith smirked. "Because normally you two are joined at the hip and it seemed like you couldn't get away from him fast enough just now. And he was turning the McSteamy stare on you." She giggled and Lexie couldn't help but grin at her rather drunk sister. "He's turned it on me a few times…not in a while, of course. But I remember what it's like. And he was definitely turning it on you and you were definitely responding."

Lexie shook her head. "He wasn't…McSteamy-staring at me. No way."

Meredith just stared at Lexie, clearly not buying it. Lexie sighed and set down the champagne bottle. "If I tell you something, do you promise not to tell anyone? Anyone! Even Cristina and Derek."

Meredith's eyes narrowed and she seemed to truly contemplate it, before nodding. "Promise."

Lexie looked around the kitchen, making sure no one was eavesdropping. "Mark…kissed me last week. It was under the mistletoe but it wasn't just like…a peck. It was a kiss."

"And it was good?"

Lexie swatted at Meredith. "Of course it was good. He's Mark Sloan!" She looked down at the table, fiddling with the bottle of champagne. "And there was this other time…he didn't kiss me, but he almost did. If Sloan hadn't interrupted…and then there was another time after dinner…"

"He likes you!" Meredith declared. Lexie shook her head violently.

"No! No, he doesn't! Mark Sloan doesn't like me! We're just friends."

Meredith raised a disbelieving eyebrow at her sister. "Friends don't kiss friends on the mouth under mistletoe. Friends don't have multiple almost kisses. Friends don't stare. You know who used to stare at me? Derek," she said, staring knowingly at her sister. "He stared at me alllllll the time. Just like Mark is staring at you. He likes you, Lexie."

"But Mark Sloan? Of Nurses United Against Mark Sloan infamy? Shouldn't you be like…warning me away from him or something?"

Meredith laughed and shook her head. "Do you want me to? He's not that guy anymore, Lex. You know that better than anyone. He's helping support his pregnant teenage daughter. He has a house. He hasn't been caught sneaking out of an on-call room since…I can't even remember. He's not that Mark Sloan anymore. And if he didn't look at you the way he did…maybe I'd tell you that he's bad news. But…I don't think he is, Lexie. Not anymore."

Lexie sighed, pouring the champagne into glasses. "But me?" She looked down at herself and shrugged. "Me?"

"Lexie, you're beautiful! And you're smart. Mark likes smart." Meredith nodded, grabbing a few of the filled glasses from Lexie. "This new Mark may not be a manwhore, but I can guarantee he still likes smart, beautiful women. Like you. You specifically."

Lexie blushed and finished pouring the champagne, carefully gathering up the remaining glasses and following Meredith out of the kitchen. They passed out the glasses of champagne and Derek turned on the tv so they could watch the ball drop.

Lexie sidled up to Mark and handed him his champagne. They were slightly off to a corner, just out of the way of everyone else, but not conspicuously absent from the party. Lexie looked up and caught Meredith's eye, who just cheekily winked at her as everyone else around them started counting down.

Lexie joined in, nudging her shoulder against Mark's chest to get him to join in the countdown. He chuckled and rolled his eyes, before adding his voice to the increasingly rowdy group. Lexie tried not to blush when she felt Mark's hand on her hip, subtly turning her towards him.

"3, 2, 1 – happy new year!" Fireworks were going off on the tv screen and they could hear the loud booms outside as well. Cristina and Owen, Callie and Arizona, and Meredith and Derek were all happily kissing, and Lexie turned to Mark, a soft smile on her face.

"Happy new year, Mark," she whispered, going up on her tip toes to brush a gentle kiss across his lips.

Before she had a chance to back away, the hand not holding his champagne went to the small of her back and pulled her closer. She gasped slightly as his lips came down against hers again, this time kissing her deeply, his tongue tracing against the seam of her lips. She moaned softly as she opened her mouth to him, letting his tongue inside for just a moment before she felt something cold spill down her wrist.

"Shit!" she exclaimed, breaking their kiss as she looked down at her hand. Her champagne had spilled all over her hand. She transferred the glass to her other hand and shook the wet one off. She sighed, looking around for a napkin and cursing her clumsiness for interrupting the hottest kiss of her life, when Mark suddenly grabbed her hand.

He brought her wrist up to his lips and placed a soft kiss there, his tongue lightly lapping at the skin. He flipped her hand over and continued his ministrations on the inside of her wrist. "I'm uh…I don't know how much that's actually helping, Mark," she whispered, before immediately wanting to kick herself.

Mark chuckled and released her. "But you tasted good," he murmured with a flirtatious wink. "You should probably go change, Lex. You're all wet." The way his voice dragged over the word 'wet' made her blush.

She nodded and downed the rest of what was left of her champagne, before shoving the glass at him and turning to run up the stairs. She could hear his laughter floating up the stairs behind her.

When she came back down in a black t-shirt, the others were just leaving and Mark seemed to be setting up camp on the couch again. He was chatting with Arizona and Callie as he grabbed a pillow from the other couch. Cristina engulfed her in a big drunken hug and Lexie laughed as Owen pried her off and out the door.

Callie and Arizona made their way over to her and hugged her before they left for the night. She was fairly certain that a bomb could drop on the house and Meredith and Derek wouldn't even notice, as they started to make out on their way upstairs to the bedroom. Lexie smirked and then looked over to Mark, who was grabbing the blanket off the back of the couch.

She took a deep breath and made her way over to him, sitting down on the couch and looking up at him with a grin on her face. "Ah, we meet again, Little Grey," he murmured.

"I think it's going to be a good year for us," she said, with a certainty that she didn't quite feel.

He chuckled and sank down next to her. She turned, bringing one leg up underneath her and resting her arm on the back of the couch. Her arm propped up her head as she looked at him.

"Is that so, Lex?"

"Mhm. I'm going to become a resident this year. If I pass my intern exam."

Mark rolled his eyes and shoved at her shoulder. "When. When you pass it."

She grinned. "When I pass it. Sloan's gonna have her baby…oh my god! Oh my god!" She hit his chest and started laughing. "I didn't put it together before right now. You're becoming a GRANDFATHER!" She laughed even harder and Mark groaned, shaking his head.

"Mark Sloan, grandfather!" she gasped out, her body still wracked with laughter.

"Shut up about it, Lex," he chastised her playfully, laying the hurt on just a little too thick for it to be true. She continued to cackle in glee.

"What, can't take the truth, old man?"

At that particular taunt, Mark growled and before Lexie could make a move, Mark lunged forward and pushed her back against the couch cushions. "I'll show you what this old man can do," he muttered, before ducking his head and kissing her deeply.

If she had thought their kiss earlier was hot, that one had nothing on this one. Lexie groaned as she felt Mark's body press her further into the couch and her arms came up to wrap around his neck as his tongue explored her mouth. God, his tongue…Lexie blushed as she thought about all the things his tongue could do to the rest of her body.

She gasped as his hands ran up her sides, brushing against her breasts before one cupped her chin and the other braced himself against the couch. He wedged one of his legs between hers, his thigh pressing against her center and his hips grinding against her thigh. Lexie moaned against his lips as she felt his erection, already surprisingly hard, push against her. She pressed against his chest and he broke the kiss, looking down at her and panting. His thumb ran across her lips, swollen and red from his kiss.

"We probably shouldn't be doing this," she whispered.

Mark groaned and dropped his head to her neck, pressing kisses against her skin. "You feel good, Lex. And I've been thinking about this all night. Longer than all night."

"Mark, we're on Meredith's couch," she murmured, running her hands over his back, arching slightly as he kissed just beneath her ear.

"You've got a bed in the attic," he countered, switching to the other side of her neck.

Lexie groaned and shook her head. "But Meredith and Derek," she protested, pressing against his shoulders until he detached from her neck and looked down at her.

"They're going at it like bunnies up there, Lex. They aren't gonna care what we're doing." He bent his head, brushing his lips across hers again. He was gentle at first, letting the kiss build in intensity until Lexie was clutching at his shoulders and whimpering beneath him.

She turned her head to the side suddenly, breaking their kiss again. Mark took advantage and kissed her cheek, her jaw, before moving back to her neck. "Derek thinks we shouldn't!"

The declaration seemed to shake him out of his exploration of her skin. "What?"

Lexie's eyes were wide. "Derek thinks we shouldn't. He thinks you should have a friend that you can confide in that isn't sleeping with you. Or doesn't have expectations or the weird competition that the two of you have. He thinks we should just be friends."

"I don't want you as my friend, Lexie," Mark murmured, shaking his head. He looked down at her wide, suddenly sad, eyes and he quickly tried to backtrack. "That's not what I meant! I…I love having your friendship, Lex. I love that you're friends with Sloan. I couldn't have done this with her if it wasn't for you. But…fuck, Lexie, I want you. You're beautiful and you're so sweet and it's getting harder and harder to just hang out with you when all I want to do is kiss you."

"Is this just because of the other night?"

Mark shook his head. "No. I don't know when…suddenly one day I just wanted to kiss you. I don't know how or why, but it was like a switch flipped in my brain and all I could think about was kissing you, Lexie Grey. More than kiss you," he murmured, pressing his hips against her thigh again, causing her cheeks to redden again. "The other night was the last straw. The breaking point. God, if Sloan hadn't come down when she did…"

"We would've ended up like this?" she teased.

He chuckled and nodded, ducking his head down to give her a brief, chaste kiss. "Exactly."

"Mark…I don't…I can't be just another notch on your bedpost. I don't want that. I'm an intern and you're my attending and I don't want to risk my career and our friendship if this is just…sex to you. I really care for you." Lexie's hands brushed against his chest. One came up to tug on his collar and she looked up at him, smiling softly.

He grinned down at her, moving a hand to brush her hair back from her face. "I care for you too, Lex. This isn't just sex to me. New year, new leaf…new Mark Sloan. A Mark Sloan who's a father...and a grandfather. A Mark Sloan who doesn't want to sleep around anymore."

Lexie grinned and tugged on his shirt, pulling him closer so that his lips were brushing against hers.

"A Mark Sloan who wants to date you, Lexie Grey. What do you say?"

Her grin widened and the hand at his collar traveled up and around to the back of his head, pulling him down for a kiss. "Yes," she murmured, right before their lips met in a kiss.

When they broke apart, Lexie laughed and pushed gently on his chest, until he wasn't completely pressing her into the cushions of the couch. "We're still not having sex on the couch. Or upstairs. We're not having sex in Meredith's house. I got caught once having sex with Alex here and I do not want a repeat performance."

"Well we're not having sex where Sloan could catch us! The girl refuses to knock."

Lexie giggled at the horrified look on Mark's face. "Well then I guess we're condemned to a sexless existence for at least another 3 months."

Mark grumbled, leaning down to press kisses down her neck again.

Lexie laughed, pushing at his shoulders again. "Mark, are you listening to me? No sex on my sister's couch!"

"You drive a hard bargain, Grey."

"Dealbreaker?"

"No way. I don't go confessing feelings for every girl I have lying beneath me on my best friend's girlfriend's couch." Lexie giggled and he grinned down at her.

She pushed against him and he finally sat up, pulling her up along with him. She stood and he grabbed her hand. "So now you're just gonna leave me down here? All alone?"

Chuckling, she shook her head and raised her eyebrow at him. "You want me to stay?"

"Yes," he murmured, tugging on her hand until she sat down on the couch next to him. "Clothes will stay on, I swear. I cannot promise that there won't be wandering hands though."

Her eyes narrowed. "As long as they stay over the clothes, wandering hands are acceptable."

He laid down, tugging on her hand again until she laid down too, her back pressed against his chest. His arm slung around her waist and then he grabbed a blanket and threw it over the two of them. "It's going to be a good year, Lexie Grey."

She grinned and giggled, twisting slightly so she could look up at him. "Yeah, yeah it is."


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The new lovebirds might be on the right track now, but that doesn't mean that everyone is on board.

The next morning, Mark woke up first, with Lexie still pressed against him. They'd shifted in their sleep and Lexie had ended up sprawled mostly on top of him. He grinned down at her, running his hand up and down her back and gently kissing the top of her head. "Hey…Lexie, wake up."

Lexie swatted at him and buried her face further against his neck. Absently, Mark wondered how she was able to breathe with her face pressed against him like that. "Lex, you've gotta wake up. Meredith and Derek will be up any minute."

She groaned and swatted at him again. "I don't care. Just let me sleep."

"If Derek really doesn't think we should be dating, this really isn't the way that we want him to find out, Lex," Mark murmured tugging at her hair.

She sighed and finally lifted her head to glare at him. "Isn't your head pounding?"

Mark chuckled and leaned forward, brushing his lips against hers briefly. "Nope. Wasn't nearly as drunk as you were last night. I wasn't trying to avoid you."

Lexie groaned and her head fell again, this time she buried her face in his chest.

Mark smoothed her hair down and pressed another kiss to the crown of her head. "Lex, seriously, we've gotta get up before Derek and Meredith get down here."

"Too late."

At the sound of Derek's voice, Lexie shot up, her elbow digging into Mark's side. He grunted and nearly threw her off of him, only grabbing her around the waist at the last second so she didn't tumble to the ground. Derek stood in front of them, his arms crossed and a disappointed look on his face.

Lexie scrambled up and off the couch, anxiously tucking her hair behind her ears. "Derek! Hi! Hi…I swear…this isn't what it looks like."

"I thought you said he hadn't made a pass at you," Derek murmured, turning on his 'big brother' voice and placing a hand on Lexie's shoulder. "I thought you said you were just friends. You were drinking a lot last night, Lexie – did he take advantage of you?"

"What? No! No! Derek, he wouldn't, you know that. We were…we were just sleeping. Clothes stayed on. We just kissed…we're…me and Mark, we're…" Lexie looked back at Mark for assistance, but he was staring at his hands in his lap, his mouth a grim line. "We're together," she whispered. At that, he finally looked up at her and gave her a small smile. She smiled back and then turned to Derek. "We just didn't want you to find out like this. It's…new. We're new."

Meredith had been standing on the stairs and suddenly came into the room, grabbing Lexie's arm. "Let's get you some coffee, Lex, and let the boys fight it out." She pushed Lexie towards the kitchen and then turned to Derek. "Be nice. No punching. They're both adults."

Mark stood up, regarding Derek seriously. They waited until Meredith and Lexie were in the kitchen before Mark finally spoke up. "You thought I'd do that to her? Take advantage?"

Derek sighed and shook his head. "No, not…not really. But if both of you weren't thinking clearly…you're not exactly known for your restraint, Mark."

Mark scoffed and nodded, looking down at his feet. "Great. Thanks, Derek. Always good to know how you really feel about me."

The other man shook his head and held his hands out in a conciliatory manner. "Mark, you know I didn't mean it like that. It's just…Lexie's young. She's…vulnerable."

"And doesn't need big, bad Mark Sloan messing her up? I get it, Derek, really, I do." He shook his head and sighed. "Thanks for letting me crash on your couch. I'll be out of your weirdly perfect hair once I go and say goodbye to Lexie…if you don't think that'll damage her too much."

"Mark—"

Mark brushed past Derek, already making his way towards the kitchen. Lexie sat at the island, nursing the cup of coffee that Meredith had just handed her. She looked up at him, her eyes soft. "Hey, you ok?"

He sighed and shook his head, before leaning forward and kissing her forehead. "Come over later if you want," he murmured.

He turned to leave, but Lexie reached out and grabbed his arm. "Hey," she said, pulling him back. She cupped his cheek and waited until he looked at her, instead of fixing his eyes on the ground. "Are you good to drive, Mark? I don't want you driving home while you're upset."

A soft smile spread across his face. "I'm fine, Lex." He glanced up at Meredith, who conspicuously had her back turned to them. He leaned forward again, properly kissing her this time. Lexie's hand grabbed onto the front of his shirt, keeping him in place. "Text me," he said as they broke apart.

Lexie nodded and finally unfurled her fingers from Mark's shirt, absently smoothing out the wrinkles before he straightened up. "See you later, Meredith," he said, and Meredith finally turned around, smiling and waving at him as he left out the back door, rather than go through the front and see Derek again.

Lexie sighed and took a sip of her coffee before looking up at her sister. "You were right. He was McSteamy-staring at me. He wants to date me, Meredith."

Her sister grinned and took a sip of her own coffee. "I told you so."

Lexie's nose wrinkled and she stared down at her coffee contemplatively. "I just hope…"

"I'll talk to Derek," Meredith said, cutting off her sister's wandering train of thought. "He's coming from a good place. But he's known Mark a long time and I think that seeing who he is now is going to…take some time. He's used to old Mark. McSteamy Mark. The Mark that you thought I should be warning you away from." She grinned at Lexie. "That's not the Mark that just walked out of here."

Lexie smiled softly. "No. No, he's not the same."

Meredith rolled her eyes and grinned at her sister. "Go upstairs and shower before you head over to Mark's. I'll talk to Derek. Promise."

Sliding off the barstool, Lexie grinned. "Thank you, Mer. Seriously."

Meredith listened as Lexie went up the stairs and soon after, Derek made his way into the kitchen. Meredith poured another cup of coffee and offered it to her boyfriend. He took it with a soft 'thanks' and then took a sip, before sitting down heavily on the bar stool that Lexie had just vacated.

"You can't possibly think that is a good idea," he said, after his sip.

Meredith leaned against the counter. "Why not?"

Derek sighed. "I've known Mark almost my entire life, Meredith. I love him like he's my brother, but he can't do relationships. He only knows how to hurt women. I've had to clean up so many of his messes…" He shook his head and took another sip of his coffee. "I don't want him hurting your sister."

Meredith shrugged. "I don't think that he will! And they're both adults, Derek. They can make their own decisions."

"But getting involved with Mark is a bad decision."

She scoffed. "You're aren't one of their parents. You're their friend. Mark is growing up. And Lexie has been there for that. She likes him, Derek. And he likes her. And if you would actually see them instead of seeing my little sister and your best friend, you'd see that they're actually pretty good together."

Derek sighed and shook his head, so Meredith tried another approach. "Ok, so you think that Mark is a mess. Would that Mark be helping his pregnant teenage daughter? Would that Mark have bought a house, just so his pregnant teenage daughter had a home? Would he have just slept on the couch with a beautiful woman all night without having sex with her?"

Derek looked up at her, sighing heavily. "No. No, that doesn't sound like the Mark Sloan I'm thinking of."

"People can change Derek. I'm proof of that. So is Mark. So cut him some slack. If he breaks Lexie's heart, then you can throw punches. But maybe give the guy the benefit of the doubt." She walked around the kitchen island to stand in front of Derek, resting her hands on his shoulders.

"When did you become a relationship guru?" Derek teased, his hands going to her hips and pulling her close.

"We're bright and shiny now, Derek. That means I'm qualified to give relationship advice," she said, grinning, before leaning forward to brush a soft kiss against his lips. "Now we better go and get ready for work. We have to be at the hospital in an hour."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One of the really fun challenges for this story have been to sort of reimagine some of the hallmarks of Mark and Lexie's relationship in this new scenario that I've devised for them. And one of those things was definitely the tension between Mark and Derek because of the relationship. Hope that you enjoyed the chapter! Please let me know what you think!


	9. Chapter 9

"Are you sure you want me here?" Lexie asked for what felt like the thousandth time as they waited at arrivals for Sloan's flight.

Mark laughed and grabbed her hand, intertwining their fingers. "Lexie, you're already here. We came in the same car. How exactly are you planning on escaping?"

"It's an airport. There are cabs all around here. I could escape very, very easily if you decide that you don't want me here to pick up your daughter," she hissed at him.

Mark shook his head and cupped her cheek, brushing a gentle kiss across her lips. "Lex. Calm down. I want you here. And I'm sure that Sloan will be excited to see you."

"Oh gross!"

Lexie smirked. "Wanna bet?" she whispered, before they both turned to Sloan, who was standing in front of them with a disgusted expression on her face.

"I go away for two weeks and you guys hook up? Come on!" The girl shook her head, trying to keep the disgusted expression on her face, but she broke and laughed, smiling at the two in front of her. "Jesus, it took you long enough. If I had to sit through another dinner where you two were just staring at each other and laughing at each other's dumb jokes, I was going to puke. And I hate puking – morning sickness taught me that much."

"How was the trip? Was the flight ok?" Mark asked, moving to grab Sloan's bags.

Sloan smiled. "It was fine. Seeing my mom was…really good. It was really good to be back there with her and see some of my friends. But I'm also glad to be back here. It was weird being there and being pregnant…like actually pregnant." Sloan shook her head and turned to Lexie, her eyes gleaming. "Now I want to know how you went from definitely not dating to kissing in the airport. But not like…too many gross details."

Lexie laughed and shook her head, as they made their way out to the car.

* * *

As much as Lexie would have liked to have stayed with Sloan and Mark, she had the night shift for the next three days at the hospital. She sighed, taking another sip of her coffee as she continued charting. Normally she'd be doing charts in her favorite supply closet, but the hospital was quiet enough that she was sitting on one of the gurneys out in the hall.

"Hey."

Lexie looked up at the familiar voice. George. She sighed softly and steeled herself. She'd barely spoken to George in weeks and could only imagine what he'd have to say. "Hey."

"Can I sit?" he asked, and she nodded, scooting over on the gurney so that he could sit next to her.

"So…you and Sloan? After all that denial that anything was going on? Were you sleeping with him the whole time?"

Lexie sighed, shutting the chart. No beating around the bush, then. She shook her head. "Not that it's any of your business, George, but no. I haven't actually even slept with him at all. Well once, but it was literal sleeping, not sexy sleeping."

"But he dropped you off at the hospital today."

Lexie rubbed at her forehead. "Oh my god, seriously that's all that it took to get the rumor mill going?"

"You also were wearing his Columbia sweatshirt when you got in today," George said, his voice way too neutral to be true. He was obviously masking his real feelings.

"Just out with it, George. What do you really want to say to me?" she asked, finally looking at him.

"It's just…Mark Sloan, Lexie? Do you know how stupid you look thinking that you're dating Mark Sloan?" He reached out and rested his hand on her shoulder. "I'm just worried about you, Lexie. I'm your friend."

Lexie's jaw tightened and she shrugged his hand off her shoulder. "No, you're not, George. I'm not sure if we were ever really that good of friends to begin with. I am dating Mark Sloan right now, but I've been friends with him, actual friends, for months! And he's been a much better friend to me than you ever were, ok?" She shook her head and laughed bitterly. "I was crazy about you, George. And you…you had no clue. Every time I did something to try and get you to notice me, you just…you blew me off!"

"And it's not like…like you have to love me back. You don't. But you weren't even…you weren't even a good friend, George! After the whole thing with Sadie…where were you, George? You were there to give me a stern look and pretend like you were worried? Mark was actually there for me."

She hopped off the gurney and shook her head, grabbing the charts. "I like spending time with him and his daughter, George. Ok? And I really don't care what anyone else has to say about it – I'm dating Mark Sloan. So what? I don't care what anyone has to say about it. Especially not from someone who claims to be my friend, but isn't." She sighed and shook her head. "I need to get these charts done, Dr. O'Malley. Go ahead and page me if you need me for something. Otherwise, I'd really like to just be alone."

She'd managed to steer clear of George for the next few hours. It was 2am and she was headed down to the ER when she rounded a corner and literally ran into Mark. "Oh!" she exclaimed, her hands pressing against his chest. "Sorry! I wasn't watching where I was going. Sorry." She looked up at him and smiled softly. "Hi."

"Hey. I was hoping to run into you. Maybe not so literally, but it works," he murmured, craning his neck to gently kiss her. It was a short kiss, but when they broke apart, Lexie couldn't help the grin on her face. She started walking again and Mark fell into step beside her.

"What're you doing here? You were off tonight."

"Car accident. Callie called me in for a consult. Thought I'd try and find you before I left." Mark stopped suddenly and grabbed Lexie's arm, making her stop as well. "You ok?"

She shrugged. "I'm fine…it's nothing." Mark looked at her, clearly not believing her. She sighed, looking around and pulling him towards the nearest on-call room. She practically collapsed on the bed and Mark sat down next to her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "I talked to George. He thinks that I'm an idiot for dating you. First Derek and now George…"

Mark pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "I'm sorry, Lex. They're all just worried about you."

Lexie shook her head. "They shouldn't be! They don't…they don't know us, Mark. God, it's not like you're the big, bad wolf. George has no idea what he's talking about." She leaned against him and sighed, nuzzling his neck. "Ugh…I hate the night shift."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A short chapter, but this is where the story naturally broke up. Next chapter will have Mrs. Shepherd! If there's anything that you'd like to see in this story, just let me know. I'm starting to wind it down, but I'm having a hard time connecting some chapters. Hope that you're still enjoying it!


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Grey girls meet Mrs. Shepherd.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for your patience! Hope that you enjoy this chapter. :) Like I said a few chapters ago, I didn't go into this story expecting to rewrite season 5, but then I sort of inadvertently ended up doing it. But I'm being pretty selective in what I choose to address and obviously things aren't quite happening the way that they did in the show. Loved writing these interactions in this chapter - hope you enjoy reading them!

Lexie cornered Mark at the nurses' station and smiled up at him sweetly. "I have been told to tell you that you are coming to dinner tonight at Meredith's and you're bringing Sloan. I'm not asking; I'm telling you, that's what you're doing tonight."

He chuckled, flipping the chart in front of him closed and turning fully towards Lexie. "And why exactly am I being told this?"

"Mrs. Shepherd is in town tonight and she wants to meet Meredith. She's freaking out. Izzie's been trying to help by cleaning like a crazy woman for the past 24 hours, but Meredith's still petrified. So she figures that the more people there, the better. I think she's hoping you and your pregnant teenage daughter, and your 24-year-old girlfriend will help to take some of the attention off of her."

Mark chuckled and shook his head. "What time is dinner?"

Lexie grinned and bounced towards him, gently kissing his cheek. "6:30. I already texted Sloan to let her know. Meredith will seriously be so grateful."

Mark nodded absently. "Fine. Anything for Big Grey. And it'll be good to see Mrs. Shepherd." He turned to Lexie and leaned forward for a quick kiss. "She'll love you." He turned and walked off, oblivious to Lexie's wide eyes.

"Oh no. It's like I'm meeting the parents too!"

* * *

Lexie grinned as she opened the door to Mark and Sloan, but something about her grin wasn't quite right. They stepped inside and Lexie took their coats, pausing briefly to brush a kiss over Mark's lips. "Everything ok?" he asked quietly.

"Mer's freaking out. Derek's surgery is running late, so it's just been the three of us. She's trying so hard, but she'll be relieved to see you." Lexie then turned to Sloan and hugged the girl quickly, before ushering her fully inside.

"Mark Sloan! There you are!" Carolyn Shepherd lit up as Mark stepped inside.

"Mrs. Shepherd!" he replied, grinning brightly as the older woman immediately embraced him and kissed his cheek. "It's good to see you," he murmured, grinning softly at her. He turned to Sloan. "This is my daughter, Sloan Riley. Sloan, this is Carolyn Shepherd - she's the woman who practically raised me. I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for her."

Carolyn smiled at Sloan, shaking her hand firmly. "It's very nice to meet you, Sloan."

"You too, Mrs. Shepherd," she grinned and then turned to Lexie, leaning in close. "Lex, where is the bathroom? I feel like I'm about to burst."

Lexie laughed and pointed her down the hallway with a sympathetic hand on her back. When she looked back, Mrs. Shepherd and Mark were talking and glancing over at her. She grinned nervously as Mark held out his hand. She took it and stiffened as Mark pulled her against his side, an arm slung around her shoulder. "Mark tells me that you're seeing each other! Why didn't you tell me, Lexie?" The question seemed innocent enough, but Lexie still gulped nervously.

"I mean…you're here to meet Meredith and see Derek. And meet Sloan. I didn't want to…butt in on that," she said, hoping desperately that her cheeks weren't as red as they felt.

Carolyn smiled at her. "Mark is my boy just as much as Derek is – I want to check up on them both. And I had no idea that he was seeing Meredith's little sister!" It might have been her imagination, but she thought that Mrs. Shepherd emphasized "little" when describing her and Lexie glanced up at Mark, who seemed a bit bashful. Yep, not just her imagination then.

"Yeah! Since New Year's!" She managed to get out, smiling nervously up at Mark. "We were friends for a while before that – since Sloan came, but we only got together at New Year's." Mark was gently stroking her shoulder with his thumb and she felt herself relax against him a little bit.

"You both seem very happy. I can't imagine it's easy, dating a man with a pregnant teenage daughter."

They both laughed and Lexie shrugged. "Sloan's a good kid. And really, we probably wouldn't be friends if it wasn't for her. It's been really great to see Mark step up and be a dad to her."

"I couldn't have done it without you, Lex," he murmured, leaning forward to capture her lips in a gentle kiss. Lexie returned the kiss for just a moment, before pushing against his chest, her cheeks flaming in embarrassment again.

Mrs. Shepherd gave her a knowing grin. "Oh Lexie, dear, don't you worry. Nothing can shock me much when it comes to Mark." Her reassurance didn't help Lexie's flaming cheeks and she was glad when Sloan reappeared.

Meredith entered the dining room as well, a slightly manic smile on her face. "I just got off the phone with Derek and he'll be home soon! And Izzie said that dinner should be ready in about fifteen minutes, so the timing should be perfect!"

"Very sweet of your friend to cook for us, Meredith, she didn't have to do that."

"Oh, you didn't want to eat my cooking, Mrs. Shepherd. Thought I'd spare all of us that particular disaster," Meredith said, laughing uncomfortably.

"You're a good cook, Meredith!" Lexie protested.

Meredith shook her head and smiled at her sister. It was closer to her actual smile than her previous, scary, "meeting the mother" smile. "Lexie, I almost killed you with that omelet."

Lexie shook her head. "Only because of the eggs! The rest of it was good!"

Mark chuckled and Meredith's eyes darted over to him, as if noticing that he and Sloan were there for the first time. "Oh! Mark! Sloan! I'm glad you're here. Can I get you both something to drink?" she asked, only sounding a little bit desperate.

"Just some water, please," Sloan said, curiously looking around the house.

"I'll take a scotch, Big Grey. Thanks." Mark winked at Meredith and she shot him a slightly grateful smile in return.

"Do you need a refill, Mrs. Shepherd?" Meredith asked.

"Meredith, I told you to call me Carolyn, please. And I'm fine – thank you for checking though." Meredith nodded nervously before disappearing back into the kitchen. Lexie sighed and watched her go, unconsciously stepping closer to Mark.

"So you're going on a cruise?" Mark asked, seemingly unaware of how tightly-wound Lexie was beside him. "And you just happened to have a free night in Seattle before the ship boards?"

Carolyn smiled at him. "The flights were much cheaper today than they would be if I arrived tomorrow. Besides, what sort of mother would I be if I went on a cruise out of Seattle and didn't stop to see how my boys were doing?"

Mark grinned at her and nodded. "Of course."

"Sloan, dear, how are you feeling? How far along are you?" Carolyn asked, turning to Sloan who had been standing near Lexie, looking a bit bored. Lexie couldn't help but breathe a slight sigh of relief that Mrs. Shepherd didn't focus on her.

Mrs. Shepherd led Sloan over to the dining room table as they talked, leaving Mark and Lexie standing in the entryway. Lexie noticeably relaxed against Mark's side and he couldn't help but chuckle as he looked down at her. "Everything ok, Lex?"

"She's practically your mother, Mark. I'm a little bit nervous," she snapped at him and Mark's eyes widened before a smirk spread across his face.

"Great, so now Mrs. Shepherd has both the Grey girls all nervous. You'll both be fine. She'll love you." Mark chuckled and he bent his head slightly, just enough to brush his lips against hers.

Just then, they heard the front door open behind them and they separated just in time to look back and see Derek enter the house. Mark's head snapped forward, refusing to acknowledge his best friend, and Lexie looked back with an apologetic smile. Derek shook his head and smiled at Lexie before moving in towards the dining room to greet his mother and Sloan.

Meredith, conveniently coming out just after she heard the front door close again, grinned as she handed Sloan a glass of water and Mark his scotch as he and Lexie moved into the dining room as well. Derek smiled at Meredith and kissed her, whispering something in her ear that made her smile and relax slightly.

Izzie brought out the food with a happy smile on her face, before begging off from actually joining them, despite Meredith's desperate insistence that she enjoy the fruits of her labor. So instead the six of them sat at the table, quietly serving themselves. Normally Mark and Derek would be egging each other on, and Meredith and Lexie would be awkwardly trying to add in their two cents, but with Mark and Derek not speaking, there was a heaviness that settled at the table.

Lexie hated it.

"So, Mrs. Shepherd, you must have a lot of stories about Mark and Derek from when they were young," she said, breaking the silence. Sloan smiled at Lexie, sighing softly in relief at the attempt to break the ice. Meredith gave her a similar smile.

Mrs. Shepherd, seeing the invitation for exactly what it was, picked up the conversational starter and ran with it. "First off, Lexie, you should be calling me Carolyn. And ladies, I am here for every embarrassing story you could ever want to know about these two. Should I start before or after puberty?"

Both of her boys groaned in protest and the women at the table beamed in amusement. By the time that they were done with the meal and moving on to Izzie's chocolate chip cookies, the frosty silence between Mark and Derek had thawed. They'd chimed in on quite a few of Carolyn's stories, equally defending themselves or throwing each other under the bus, depending on what the stories required.

The night was interrupted by the familiar buzz of pagers and Meredith and Derek were the unlucky ones who were called back into the hospital. "Mom, I'm so sorry," Derek apologized as they all followed the two of them into the entryway. Derek grabbed his coat and helped Meredith with hers.

"Nonsense. I know how busy you are. I'm glad that we got through most of dinner without interruption." She turned to Meredith and engulfed her in a hug. Meredith's wide eyes immediately met Lexie's over Carolyn's shoulders and Lexie mouthed 'hug her back!' as Meredith's arms cautiously wrapped around the other woman. "Meredith, dear, it was so nice to finally meet you. I'm hoping you'll be able to join Derek and I for breakfast tomorrow before I have to get to the cruise ship. Will you?"

Meredith's smile was only a little bit forced. "Of course!"

Derek turned to Mark. "Hey, Mark, can you take her back to the Archfield? I don't know how long this will take."

Mark nodded. "Sure, not a problem. Always happy to spend some time with you, Mrs. Shepherd," he said, grinning at the older woman. He turned to Lexie. "Do you think you could get Sloan back home, Lex? Looks like she's fading." He glanced over to the living room – Sloan had said a quick goodbye to Derek and Meredith and then had basically collapsed on the couch, looking exhausted.

Lexie grinned and nodded. "You ready to go home, Sloan?" she called out. The blond girl immediately brightened and nodded, slowly getting up off the couch.

"Will you let me drive, Lexie? Mark never lets me drive his car!"

Lexie's eyes narrowed. "You think that telling me that you haven't driven the entire time you've been here is a good way of convincing me to let you behind the wheel? I don't think so. You're riding shotgun, Sloan."

The girl pouted as she reached for her coat. Mrs. Shepherd made her way over to Sloan and gave her a big hug, one that Sloan seemed particularly grateful to receive. Lexie watched them, a soft smile on her face. She turned to Mark, who seemed to be watching with the same expression. Lexie bumped her shoulder against his and he grinned down at her, slinging his arm around her shoulders.

Once Sloan had said her goodbyes to Mrs. Shepherd, it was Lexie's turn. Those butterflies started flying in her stomach again, even though the test was almost over. "It was really great to meet you, Mrs. Shepherd – Carolyn," she said, correcting herself at the matriarch's quirked eyebrow.

Lexie found herself in Carolyn's embrace and she melted just a little bit. It had been so long since she'd had someone hug her like this…hug her like a mom. Unexpectedly, she found herself choked up a little bit, missing her own mom fiercely. She managed to get herself under control when Mrs. Shepherd finally released her. "It was such a pleasure to meet you, Lexie. I'm very glad that Mark found you. And that you're willing to put up with him – I'm sure he hasn't made it easy on you."

Lexie laughed and Mark made a soft sound of protest behind her. Carolyn fixed her gaze on him. "Don't act like I'm wrong, Mark Sloan. I know what a handful you are. I'm glad that Lexie's more than up for the challenge."

Lexie smiled softly. "I hope you enjoy your cruise, Carolyn. And I'm looking forward to seeing you again."

Carolyn nodded. "Same here, dear."

With that, both Lexie and Sloan departed, leaving Mark and Mrs. Shepherd alone in the house. "Shall we?" Mark said, offering his arm to Mrs. Shepherd after shrugging on his leather coat and helping her with her peacoat.

They were on their way to the Archfield when Mrs. Shepherd cleared her throat. "I like her, Mark," she said, matter-of-factly.

Mark smirked. "Yeah, I do too."

"I thought you were going to be stuck as a horny fifteen-year-old forever, Mark Sloan. But you've grown up. And I know that part of that is because of Sloan. But part of that is because of Lexie too, isn't it?" She was watching Mark carefully and he nodded slowly, thoughtfully.

"I wouldn't have been able to handle any of this if it hadn't been for Lexie's support and friendship," he murmured. "The fact that she's an excellent kisser is just a bonus." Mark turned and winked, and Mrs. Shepherd laughed, lightly slapping his arm.

"She's good, Mark. More than that, she's good for you."

"Too good," he muttered under his breath, but Mrs. Shepherd heard him loud and clear.

"Mark Sloan, you have always had low expectations for yourself. But you've always been wrong. You deserve good things, Mark. And Lexie…Lexie is a good thing. Don't let her go."

Mark glanced over at Mrs. Shepherd and couldn't help but softly smile. "I'm not planning on it, Mrs. Shepherd."

* * *

When Mark got back home from dropping off Mrs. Shepherd, he was pleasantly surprised to see that Lexie's car was still in the driveway. The house was dark except for a soft light coming from his bedroom. Lexie was waiting up for him.

He found her upstairs, already in bed, reading one of his old medical journals. "Hey," he murmured from the doorway, leaning against the doorframe and just smiling softly at her.

She looked up, startled out of her Lexiepedia haze. "Oh hey! I didn't hear you come in. Is it…is it ok that I just stayed? I didn't think you'd mind."

He shook his head, moving into the room further and closing the bedroom door behind him. "Of course, I don't mind, Lexie. You're always welcome in my home. Especially in my bed," he said, with a suggestive wiggle of his eyebrows.

She giggled and set aside the journal, watching him raptly as he tugged his shirt over his head and stripped down to his boxers. He sat down on the edge of the bed, one hand on either side of her hips, effectively boxing her in. She giggled leaned forward, hooking her hands around his neck and drawing him close for a kiss.

They kept kissing and Mark found himself tugging on Lexie's hips, encouraging her to move until she was lying flat on her back and he had moved on top of her. He broke their kiss and smiled down at her, pushing a lock of her hair back behind her ear. "We should stop," he murmured.

"Isn't that my line?" she teased, her fingertips dancing along the back of his neck.

"It is, which is probably why it's sound advice."

Lexie sighed. "Mark, Sloan is sixteen. She clearly knows what sex is. She's been asking us if we're sleeping together since she met us. Is it really that bad if we just…live up to her expectations?"

He shifted onto his side and he couldn't help but notice how Lexie deflated just a bit. One of his hands supported his head and the other went to rest on her stomach, rubbing along the soft material of the worn t-shirt that she'd stolen from him in lieu of actual pajamas. "I want to be able to savor you, Lexie Grey. I don't want any distractions the first time we have sex." He leaned down, pressing a kiss against her shoulder. "I don't want to be thinking about anyone else but you. I want to hear you scream my name and not have to worry about the looks that my daughter will be giving us the next morning at breakfast."

Lexie giggled and wrapped her hands around the back of his neck, bringing him close for a kiss. "What makes you so certain I'll scream?" she teased, her lips brushing against his even as she broke their kiss.

He leaned back further, so that he could get a good look at her. His grin was positively wicked. "Oh, I'll make you scream, Lexie Grey. I wouldn't doubt that for a second."

She grinned, kissing him again. When they broke apart, she looked appeased. "Promises, promises, Dr. Sloan."

He chuckled. "Promises I'll deliver on. Sooner rather than later, Lexie."


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Addison's in town and Lexie's feeling insecure. Brothers make up and sisters bond.

Mark sighed, rubbing at his hand as he stood outside of Meredith and Derek’s house. Derek opened up the door and smiled. “Hey. Thanks for coming, man.” Mark nodded and stepped inside, letting Derek shut the door behind him.

“What did you want to talk about?” Mark asked, his arms crossed over his chest.

“I’m uh…I’m proposing to Meredith. And I was wondering if you’d help. I have all these candles and flowers and a giant bear and…I need help setting it up.” Derek smiled at Mark. Mark nodded slowly, seeing the olive branch for what it was.

“Yeah. Sure, man. Congratulations.”

He followed Derek up the stairs and chuckled at the bouquets and candles lining the hallway. “Going…a bit overboard, here, Derek. Don’t you think?”

“It’s romantic. I’m being romantic, Mark.” Derek paused and glanced back at him, bending down to pick up a bouquet of roses. “Lexie must like a little romance too, right?”

Mark’s jaw tightened. “If you’re going to lecture me about Lexie, Derek—”

The other man shook his head. “I’m not. I swear. Mark…I’m sorry. I’m sorry that I made it seem like I didn’t trust you. It was hard for me to believe that you had turned over a new leaf…but I didn’t realize that the leaf is already turned. You’re taking care of Sloan. You’re dating Little Grey. Somehow you became a responsible adult and I didn’t see it. I’m sorry.”

An actual apology from Derek Shepherd was rare, and growing up with the man, Mark knew when to take it and run. Mark grinned at Derek and nodded, bending to pick up a bouquet. “Thanks, Derek. Now let’s get this crap set up so you can propose!”

They had been working at the room for about fifteen minutes – Derek had just set the giant teddy bear at the foot of the bed. Mark was arranging one of the many bouquets of roses. “So…what did Sloan have to say?” Derek asked quietly. Mark looked up at him and shook his head, his brow furrowing. “About you and Lexie,” Derek clarified.

Mark chuckled and shrugged, standing up from where he was crouching on the floor. “She’s happy for us. Said that she could see it coming from a mile away – she kept asking both of us if we were sleeping with each other.” He laughed, spreading his hands slightly. “Guess I’m predictable, even to my daughter who’s only known me for a few months.”

They were putting the finishing touches on the room when Derek’s phone rang. Derek stepped out into the hall as Mark kept lighting candles. He sighed when he came back into the room. “I can’t do this right now,” he said, crossing to the other side of the room and grabbing some of the roses.

“What’s wrong, man?”

“That was Addison. There’s something wrong with Archer. They’ve airlifted him here and they’re on the way to the hospital right now. I can’t wait for Meredith to come home,” Derek said, sighing.

Mark nodded. “I get it, man. Go to the hospital. I’ll take care of all this.”

Derek shook his head, blowing out the candles around him. “I can’t just leave you to do it all.”

“I’ve got it, man. Go. I’ll see you later. Can’t let an opportunity to see Archie in a hospital gown go to waste.” Derek chuckled and shook his head, already heading towards the door.

“Thank you, Mark.”

“Don’t mention it.”

* * *

Addison sighed as she watched Derek begin the surgery on her brother. “Ok, I need someone to distract me from what’s going on down there.” She turned to Callie and Mark and sat down. “What’s new?”

Callie laughed. “Well you know what’s new with me.” Addie nodded. “Did you know that Mark has a sixteen-year-old daughter?”

Addie’s eyes widened and her jaw dropped. “He what?”

“And she’s pregnant.”

Mark smirked and looked over to Addie. “Surprise!” he said dryly, waving his hands.

“Oh, and he’s dating Little Grey.”

Addison’s eyes got even wider. Mark elbowed Callie. “Are you going to let me tell her anything myself?” he muttered.

“Well it’s not like it’s a secret. Everyone knows. And it’s not like either of you cares, right?” Callie looked to Addison, who still looked like she was in shock. “Right? It’s not like you still have feelings for Mark, do you, Addison?”

“No!” she sputtered out. “No! Of course not!”

Mark chuckled and held his hand over his heart. “Wow, I’m going to try not to be insulted with that answer, Red.”

She shook her head and pursed her lips. “I didn’t mean it like that, Mark. Just…wow. That’s a lot to take in. That’s…a pregnant teenage daughter? And Little Grey is…Meredith’s little sister, I’m assuming?”

Mark nodded. “Yeah. Lexie. We’ve been seeing each other since New Year’s.”

“Wow. Wow, wow, wow…” Addison sat there, still processing the new information. She then looked to Callie and smacked her shoulder.

“Hey! What was that for?”

“You didn’t tell me ANY of this! In all of those phone calls!”

Callie pouted as Mark tried to stifle his laughter. “I was sort of busy with my own stuff! Erica and Arizona and Mark was over there playing Mr. Mom, so I had no one else to talk to!” Just then, Callie’s pager went off and she sighed as she read the page. “Ugh, I’ve got to go. I’ll be back here as soon as I’m done.”

She hugged Addie and left the gallery. Addie moved over so she was sitting next to Mark. He looked over at her and smirked as she shook her head. “You’re going to be a grandfather?”

“Lexie thought it was hilarious too,” he said, a soft smile on his face. Addie grinned and turned more fully towards him, shaking her head.

“So if Meredith was a twelve-year-old, what does that make her little sister? A pre-schooler?”

Mark chuckled and shook his head. “She’s a woman. She’s younger than I am, yeah, but…she’s a lot smarter than I am. Sloan – that’s my daughter – she happened to meet Lexie in the elevator. Lexie helped me with Sloan’s appointments…helped me navigate this whole thing. I couldn’t have done it without her. And she's great with Sloan. They've really developed a friendship.”

Addie smiled. “Wow. You really do like her.” Mark didn’t say anything, but he nodded. “I’m happy for you, Mark. You seem…happy.”

“I am, Addison. What about you? L.A. still treating you well?”

Addison laughed and shook her head. “L.A. is…something else. I don’t know. I know I made the right decision leaving Seattle, but it’s…I don’t know. It’s a lot sometimes.” She paused, a smirk appearing on her face slowly. “Wait, your daughter’s name is Sloan Sloan?”

Mark chuckled. “Sloan Riley. I don’t know what her mom was thinking…I’d think she wouldn’t want any sort of reminder of me, but…” He shrugged and Addison smiled softly at him.

“You’re a good guy, Mark.”

“You’re not so bad yourself, Addie,” he replied. She grinned and leaned her head against his shoulder, as his arm wrapped around her shoulders, squeezing her briefly.

* * *

Lexie was admiring her medal at the nurses’ station when Mark approached her, already in his street clothes. “Hey,” he said, a smile already spreading across his face.

“I won!” she exclaimed, holding up her medal and doing a little dance. Mark couldn’t help but laugh and lean in for a kiss. Lexie indulged him for a moment, but then stepped away, still basically vibrating with energy. “I won the contest! I’m going to get to scrub in on Derek’s craniotomy tomorrow! I’m going to get to hold the doomsday sucker!”

“The doomsday sucker, huh?” Mark asked, his eyebrows raised comically high as he indulged her in her excitement.

Her eyes narrowed. “Do you know what it is? Because I’ve never heard of it.”

“I think it’s just a massive sucker.” A woman’s voice sounded from behind Lexie and she spun around, coming face to face with Addison Montgomery. Lexie’s eyes grew wide as Addison held out her hand. “Addison Montgomery. I’m guessing that you’re Lexie?”

Lexie shook her hand and blushed as she nodded. “Yeah. I…I am. I’m Lexie. It’s nice to meet you, Addison. I’m glad that everything is ok with your brother.”

Addison smiled. “Derek’s the best.” Her attention shifted to Mark for a moment before looking back to Lexie. “We were all going to go grab a drink at Joe’s if you wanted to join us, Lexie.”

Lexie immediately shook her head and then blushed furiously. “Thank you! But I can’t…I have charts and…I can’t. But thank you for the invite.” She looked over to Mark who was watching her curiously, his brow furrowed. “But hope that you have fun!” She gave Mark a soft smile and started heading down the hall.

She heard him say something to Addison and then heard his footsteps behind her. “Lex! Lex, wait up!” She slowed her rapid pace and sighed, knowing that he wasn’t just going to let her go. “What’s wrong?”

Lexie shook her head. “Mark, just go out to Joe’s with your friends. It’ll be fun! Don’t worry about me.”

She finally looked up at him. His arms were crossed in front of his chest and he was looking at her with concern. “That doesn’t tell me why you looked like a deer in headlights when Addison asked you to go out with us.”

Lexie let out a sharp bark of laughter. “I’m pathetic, remember, Mark? I’m just pathetic Lexie Grey and seeing Addison Montgomery in the flesh…I can’t go out to drinks with you and your glamorous med school friends that live in L.A. now, Mark! Not when I’ve been running around the hospital all day and I’m…me.”

Mark looked around and led her into a quieter hallway, shaking his head at her. “Lexie, what are you talking about?”

“I knew she was the best neo-natal surgeon in the country and that she was beautiful, but Mark…Mark, she’s gorgeous. And she’s your ex and…”

He slipped his hands down her arms in an attempt to calm her. “Lexie, she’s Addison. She’s my ex. But you’re my girlfriend. You’re Lexie. You have nothing to worry about. I get it if you don’t want to go get a drink with us, but don’t turn it down just because you’re intimidated. I want you there if you want to be there.”

She grinned and closed her eyes as he leaned forward and gently kissed her forehead. She shook her head softly. “Go and have a drink. Have fun with your friends. I’m fine. I promise.”

His eyes narrowed and she laughed, pushing against his chest. “I promise. I’m fine. I just…I should go home. But I’m fine. Honestly.”

Mark finally nodded and leaned towards her for another brief kiss. “Alright, fine. But seriously, if you change your mind…” he trailed off and Lexie grinned.

“I know where to find you.”

After Mark left, Lexie wandered down to the cafeteria, grabbing some coffee and a muffin and making her way over to Meredith. Her sister was reading, but she looked up and smiled as Lexie sat down next to her. “Hey Lex.”

“Hey,” Lexie replied, sighing as she bit into her muffin. Meredith looked up from her reading and her eyes narrowed. “What?” Lexie asked, her mouth full of muffin.

“What’s wrong with you? You’re inhaling that muffin.”

“Addison Montgomery is really beautiful.”

Meredith laughed, putting down the paper and grinning at Lexie. “Feeling inadequate?”

Lexie nodded, taking another giant bite of muffin. “Big time.”

“Oh yeah. I remember those days. When I first met her, she was wearing this beautiful black coat…it had fur and her hair was beautiful and her makeup was perfect. And she came up to me and introduced herself and then said, ‘and you must be the woman who’s been screwing my husband.’ I had never felt so small in my life and that’s saying something,” Meredith confessed. 

“Oh my god, Mer, that’s terrible!”

Meredith laughed. “Tell me about it!” She shook her head. “But it turns out that Addison is actually…a really nice person. She’s an amazing surgeon. And we’ve ended up…sort of being friends. It’s weird. Last time she was in town was when Derek and I were broken up and he was dating Rose…she was furious with me that I was letting him go.”

Lexie grinned softly. “My parents thought she was great. Dad said she looked like Catherine Deneuve – she’s some French actress.” Lexie sighed, leaning back in her chair and grabbing her coffee for a long sip. “I never expected to meet her. And it’s not that I wouldn’t have wanted to meet her, but…she’s Mark’s ex. He loved her, Meredith, and seeing her it’s not hard to imagine why. And I’m just…sitting here in scrubs and inhaling a muffin.”

Meredith chuckled and shook her head. “I totally get it, Lex. I spent the day listening to everyone singing the song that Derek apparently played on the guitar at their wedding. It’s all about her. Mark apparently wrote a line about gross anatomy class and Addison’s fine ass.” She glanced over at Lexie, whose eyes were wide. Meredith winced. “Probably not helping. I’m just trying to say…I get being jealous of Addison Montgomery. I probably get it more than anyone else would. I didn’t even know that Derek played the guitar, much less wrote love songs.”

Meredith cocked her head to the side and fixed her sister with a look. “But she’s not with Derek anymore. She’s not with Mark anymore. Derek’s with me. Mark’s with you. And Addison lives in L.A. I really don’t think that you have anything to worry about.”

“I’m still going to destroy this muffin,” Lexie murmured, taking another giant bite.

“Totally fair,” Meredith said, reaching across the table to break off a piece of the muffin herself. Lexie glared and Meredith laughed, popping the bite into her mouth. “Derek wrote a song on the guitar and played it at their wedding. I deserve some muffin too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm slightly obsessed with the idea of Addie, Lexie, and Meredith all becoming friends. I have a couple of ideas brewing that sort of deal with their complicated relationship, but not really sure they'll ever see the light of day. :) Hope that you enjoyed this chapter! This story is definitely starting to wind down, but I still have plenty of Slexie ideas running around in my brain.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sloan and Lexie have a heart-to-heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back! Took a bit of a break with this story so I could focus on my holiday Slexie stories, but I'm back with a new chapter. Things are winding down for our faves with this one, but there's still some great moments coming up. Had a lot of fun with Lexie and Sloan's relationship in this chapter -- from the start, I wanted to explore what could have been if Mark hadn't been so hellbent on raising Sloan's baby and if his and Lexie's relationship wasn't as serious as it was when Sloan came along. So imagining a different sort of Lexie and Sloan dynamic has been a lot of fun. Hope you enjoy!

Lexie had the day off and had been hanging around the house, waiting for Mark to get back from his surgeries and Sloan to get back from her appointment with the adoption counselor and one of the prospective couples. She heard the front door slam and smiled as Sloan made her way into the family room. "Hey Sloan! How was your meeting with the parents? This was the couple in Portland, right?"

"Yeah, Paige and Jamie. They were great…they have this big backyard at their house and Jamie's a teacher, so he'd be able to stay home during the summers…they were great," Sloan said, sighing as she sat down on the couch. She rubbed her belly thoughtfully. Lexie set down her medical journal, sensing that obviously something was up.

"I'm sensing a 'but,'" she prompted.

Sloan shook her head. "They're great. Stacy and Jim are great. Alex and Kevin are great too. How am I supposed to choose? How am I supposed to choose which great couple will be the perfect parents for my kid? How do I know? What if I mess up? What if I give him to the wrong parents?"

Lexie frowned. "Sloan, I don't think that there's necessarily a wrong decision. These couples have gotten this far in the process because they'd all be great parents. What does your gut tell you?"

The young girl shook her head. "I can't trust my gut, Lexie. My gut is what got me into this trouble in the first place. My gut thought it'd be a great idea to sleep with Brandon and we all know how that ended up."

Lexie smiled and reached out to rub Sloan's shoulder. "I don't exactly think that you were going with your gut on that decision, were you, Sloan?"

Sloan let out a sharp bark of laughter and elbowed Lexie. "Oh, shut up. Like you hooking up with my dad was a gut decision?"

Lexie smirked. "I'm older and wiser, Sloan. Wisdom comes with age." She tilted her head, considering the girl in front of her. "Sloan…this is your baby. You know better than anyone what he needs. You can trust your gut on this, on who should have the honor of raising your son."

Sloan shook her head. "I just don't want to make the wrong decision! It has to be right! They have to be perfect! I can't give him up and set him up for a lifetime of failure with the wrong people! They have to be right, Lexie!" She turned to Lexie, a pleading look in her eyes. "What do you think? Can't you just make the decision for me? You and Mark can meet them all and tell me what you think."

Lexie shook her head. "This isn't our decision to make. It's yours, Sloan. And it's a big one, but…you'll make the right decision. Because you love your baby, and you are doing this so that he has the best shot at a wonderful life…you're doing this because you love him so much. You'll pick parents that will love him just as much as you do, Sloan. I know you will."

Sloan sniffled, wiping at her cheeks as a few tears fell. "I just can't make a wrong decision. This is too important."

Rubbing her shoulder, Lexie smiled softly at Sloan. "You'll make the right choice, Sloan. You're doing the work and taking all the right steps. If you're really that concerned, talk to Catherine about it. I'm sure she has plenty of insight. Way more than me or your dad."

Sloan nodded and sighed, leaning her head against Lexie's shoulder. Lexie was taken aback by the affectionate gesture, but quickly started rubbing the young girl's back comfortingly. Sloan had never been too affectionate, but Lexie knew that this was an emotional decision for her. "Catherine and I were talking about what actually happens…when I have him. How it's up to me…if I want to be able to hold him or if I want him to be taken to the nursery and have his adoptive parents meet him first…"

"I want to be able to say goodbye to him, Lexie," Sloan whispered, looking up at Lexie. "I want to hold him and say goodbye, but I'm afraid of holding him. I don't want to doubt my decision."

Lexie squeezed her again and shook her head. "Sloan, you're doing this for him. You're doing this because you love him. He'll know that. And you know that. I think that it's fine that you want to hold him and to say goodbye. If that's what you need, I think that's fine. Everyone is different."

Sloan sniffled again and nodded. "That's what Catherine said too. Said that I'd just have to make the right decision for me." She blew out a breath and laughed softly. "I have always been terrible at making decision and here I am, making all these big ones. It's the worst."

Still rubbing Sloan's back, Lexie smiled softly at the girl. "It really is. Growing up is awful, Sloan. But there are also great things. The best is yet to come."

Sloan sighed and nodded. "Speaking of what's coming next…do you think that Mark would be mad if I moved back with my mom? We've been talking and she said that she misses me. And she wants me to come home. But I don't…I don't want Mark to feel like I was just using him all this time."

Lexie shook her head. "He wouldn't think that, Sloan."

"I just didn't have anywhere else to go. I didn't know what to do. And you two…you've been more than I ever could have imagined. I thought that maybe if I was lucky, he'd let me crash for a few weeks and then maybe give me some money before he kicked me out. But then…he created this home. Both of you…you made me feel safe. I can't ever thank you enough."

Lexie grinned, squeezing her shoulder tightly in a side hug. "I'm glad that we ran into each other in the elevator."

Sloan laughed and nodded, wiping at the tears that were still leaking out of her eyes. "Seriously."

Sloan and Lexie had spent the evening together, with Lexie acting as a sounding board as Sloan made her final decision on adoptive parents. Mark had texted Lexie as the two of them were eating dinner to tell her that he was going up to the trailer to try and talk to Derek. He'd melted down after losing his patient and no one had seemed to be able to reach him.

Mark had told her to feel free to stay the night at the house and that he'd see her when he got home. She'd just gone to sleep an hour or two ago when Lexie felt the bed dip as Mark climbed in beside her and she smiled softly, turning to face him. She snuggled against him immediately and he chuckled. "How's Derek?"

Mark sighed. "I think he's coming around. He called Meredith before I left."

Lexie hummed, rubbing her face against his shoulder. "Is she going to tell him about Izzie?"

Mark's brow furrowed and he glanced down at her. Lexie seemed like she was still half asleep and he couldn't be sure that the mention of Izzie wasn't some sort of sleep-induced rambling. "What about Izzie?"

Lexie's eyes fully opened and she looked up at Mark sadly. "She's Patient X. Mets on the skin, liver, and brain. 5% chance of survival."

"Oh shit," Mark murmured, his arms instinctively wrapping tightly around Lexie. Lexie nodded and sighed.

"Mer's hoping Derek will operate. He's one of the only surgeons in the world that could." She looked up at him, her eyes wide. "Do you think he can do it?"

"He's the best." Mark's reply was a non-answer and Lexie knew what it meant. Mark knew exactly how amazing Derek was, but he still couldn't say whether or not he'd be successful.

Lexie nodded and sighed, closing her eyes again and settling in against him. "It sucks. The world sucks."

"Not everything sucks," he whispered, pressing a kiss to her hair. She chuckled and shook her head.

"You're a charmer. You're right though. Not everything sucks." Her hand brushed against his hip, trailing along the edge of his boxers. After their night in the hotel, he'd relaxed his no-sex-in-the-house rule, but she wasn't really making a move. She just liked being able to touch him.

They both froze as they heard Sloan out in the hall, both of them holding their breath. She was a month away from her due date and both Mark and Lexie felt like she could go into labor at any minute. They both relaxed as they heard her go into the bathroom instead of continuing down the hall to the room. Lexie chuckled against Mark's skin, smoothing her hand over his heart that had started pounding. "It's not like Sloan will be quiet when she goes into labor," she mused.

He chuckled and nodded. "True."

She looked up at him, smiling softly. "We had a little heart to heart tonight. About the adoption and her plans afterwards."

"Oh yeah? What'd she decide?"

Lexie shook her head. "I think I should let her tell you. But I'm proud of her, Mark. She's had to really grow up in the time that we've known her. She's a good kid."

Mark leaned forward, brushing his lips against hers. "I know that I've told you this before, but I couldn't have done this without you, Lex. Thank you."

"You're welcome, Mark."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You might've caught the mention of a night at a hotel...there might be a standalone story in the works. :) I'd love to hear what you thought of this chapter and if you'd like to read about Mark and Lexie's night at the hotel. :P 


	13. Chapter 13

Meredith glanced up as Lexie walked into the house. "Hey! What're you doing here?"

Lexie's brow furrowed. "I live here, Meredith."

Her sister laughed, pausing the surgery that she was watching. "Barely. You've been spending all your time at Mark's. I honestly thought you moved in and just forgot to tell me."

Lexie sank down next to Meredith and shook her head. "No way. I haven't moved in with Mark. He hasn't asked me and even if he had…it's way too soon, right? I can't move in with him. We haven't been dating that long. And he's my boss."

Meredith chuckled. "God, we really are related, aren't we? You've got this great thing and you're scared of it."

"No! I'm not scared! It's just…it's too soon. And like I said, he hasn't even asked me."

"You know he's crazy about you, right?"

Lexie shrugged. "Of course he likes me, Mer, we're dating. I know that."

Meredith shook her head. "No, Lex. He doesn't just like you. Mark Sloan is crazy about you. I've never seen him like this. Derek's never seen him like this." She turned to her sister fully. "Don't let your fear get in your own way. He loves you. You love him, don't you?"

Lexie shook her head and sputtered. "Mer, I can't love him! We've been dating for like three months!"

Meredith rolled her eyes. "That's about how long I dated Derek before Addison showed up. I knew he was the one after that long. It's not crazy. Things can be complicated, but you have to just get out of your own way sometimes."

Lexie smiled and reached over, stealing some of the popcorn that Meredith had in a bowl in her lap. "That therapy thing is really working, huh?" she teased, trying to deflect.

"I'm just passing on my knowledge. Isn't that what big sisters are supposed to do?" Meredith laughed and slapped Lexie's hand away as she tried to steal more popcorn.

"Did you decide on a dress? I wish I could have been there to see it," Lexie asked as she went for the popcorn again. This time Meredith allowed it.

"I can see that you're trying to change the subject, and I'll let you for now. We did. It's so not me. But it makes Izzie happy, so I guess it's the dress. You'll get to see it plenty, anyway, Lex."

Lexie's brow furrowed and she tilted her head curiously. "Why would I see it?"

Meredith chuckled. "Lexie, you're my sister. You're in the wedding."

Lexie dropped the handful of popcorn she'd been holding as her eyes widened in shock. "What?"

"I know that usually brides do a whole thing, but I'm not good at any of that and Izzie isn't making me, so this is all you're getting. Do you want to be a bridesmaid, Lexie?"

Lexie grinned brightly and launched herself at Meredith, catching her in a tight hug. "Oh my gosh, yes! Yes! Of course, Meredith!"

Meredith laughed, hugging her sister back. "Ok, ok, get off me before I change my mind, Lexie!" she teased. Lexie sat back, holding up both her hands in surrender. "You want to watch my mom transplant a liver?"

"Is that even a question?" Lexie replied, settling into the cushions of the couch. They sat in silence for a few moments, watching the surgery. Lexie was nibbling on the side of her thumb and she sighed, shifting on the couch. "Do you really think he loves me?"

Meredith laughed and picked up the remote, pausing the video. She turned to Lexie. "Do you think he doesn't?"

Lexie shrugged. "I've just been thinking…with Sloan almost due, and she's talking about moving back in with her mom…what if she leaves and he realizes that he doesn't need me anymore?"

Meredith laughed and shook her head. "Wait, you think that he's just using you as like…what, a stand-in mother figure for his teenage daughter? Lex, you're 24."

"I know. But he's told me over and over again how he couldn't have done this without me. And…I don't know. When we got together, he told me that he didn't want to sleep around anymore, but…what if when Sloan leaves, he realizes that he wants to go back to how life used to be? What if he wants to go back to being the Mark Sloan that sleeps around the hospital? What if I'm not enough for him anymore?"

Meredith shook her head. "He had already stopped sleeping around the hospital before you guys got together."

"But that was because he didn't feel comfortable bringing women home with Sloan around! What happens when Sloan leaves?"

"Have you asked him?"

Lexie shook her head and sighed. Meredith laughed. "Lexie, just ask him. Mark doesn't beat around the bush. And trust me…he really likes you. I don't think that he's going to want to get rid of you any time soon, Sloan or no Sloan."

* * *

"What are we doing?"

Mark groaned, rubbing his eyes. He'd almost been asleep when he heard Lexie's question. "Trying to sleep, Lex."

She laughed softly and he pried his eyes open enough to see her shake her head and then prop herself up so she was looking down at him. "What are we doing? What is this?"

Mark furrowed his brow. "It's a relationship. We're dating." He felt a sudden knot appear in his stomach. "You haven't been seeing someone else, have you?"

"No! No! Of course not." Lexie blushed and tilted her head slightly, so that the ends of her hair brushed against Mark's chest. "I just…we've never really…defined what this was."

"Well, I'm pretty inexperienced when it comes to relationships, but…I thought it was pretty obvious what we were, Lex. We've spent most nights together that we could…you hang out here with me and my daughter all the time. The entire hospital knows about us. For all intents and purposes, you've met my mother…thought it was pretty clear. Wanna tell me where I created any doubt, Little Grey?"

"So…you're not going to want to go back to your old ways once Sloan moves back in with her mom?" she asked quietly, avoiding his eyes as she asked the question.

"What? No!" He grabbed her by the waist, tugging her down against him. "What in the world gave you that idea, Lexie?"

She shrugged. "Without Sloan here…I just wasn't sure if you'd still…want me around."

Mark lifted her chin so that she was looking at him and he craned his neck forward enough to brush his lips against hers. "Of course, I still want you around, Lex. I want you around all the time. Before Sloan showed up…I was a mess. I still would be a mess if it wasn't for you. You put me back together, Little Grey."

She grinned at him and pressed her lips to his again. When she pulled back, he was looking up at her thoughtfully, his hand coming up to cup her cheek and his thumb gently brushing back and forth against her skin. "What is it?" she asked.

He sighed, still stroking her cheek absently. "You know that day, right before we got together, when I invited you over to watch football while Sloan was at her mom's?"

Lexie nodded. "Yeah of course I do."

"I was telling you about how weird it felt, thinking about being in the house alone…I was going to ask you to move in with me."

Lexie's eyes grew wide. "What? But we weren't even together then."

He shrugged. "I know. But it seemed like a logical solution. You wouldn't have to live in that frat house, and I wouldn't be alone in this big house…and hell, we weren't together, but I already knew I liked you, Lexie. It felt like it was only a matter of time."

His hand left her cheek and moved to grab the hand that she had resting on his chest. He brought it up to his lips and brushed a kiss over her knuckles. "I still want you to move in, Lex. If you want. No pressure."

"You do?"

He grinned at her. "Yeah, of course I do."

"And this isn't just the fact that we're having this conversation at midnight and you were almost asleep when I started talking?"

Mark chuckled and shook his head. "No. I've honestly been trying to figure out how to ask you for a couple of weeks. I didn't want you to think we were moving too fast..."

"I mean, I already spend most nights here. And I've got some clothes and a toothbrush. It's only a couple more things before I'm officially moved in." Lexie grinned down at him, her eyes sparkling mischievously. "So, do I get the guest room or Sloan's room when she moves out? I'm guessing that you don't want to give up your office."

Mark's eyes clouded over with confusion for a moment before he shook his head and chuckled. He wrapped an arm around her waist and rolled her underneath him, ducking his head to kiss her while she giggled. "You think you're so funny, screwing with me like that, Little Grey."

She beamed at him, reaching up and linking her fingers at the base of his neck. "Regretting asking me to move in already?"

Leaning down, he brushed his lips against hers. "Never, baby. Never want to let you go if I can help it," he murmured against her lips.

She grinned and pursed her lips, kissing him again. "Mmm, I love you, Mark," she whispered, still halfway kissing him.

He leaned back, his eyes wide, as her eyes popped open and she realized what she just said. "You do?" Mark asked, sounding almost in awe as he looked down at her.

Lexie shrugged, blushing wildly at her unplanned confession. "Yeah?"

"Well, that works well, because I love you too, Lexie," he said, a smile growing on his face. Lexie grinned back at him, tugging him down for another kiss. "I just wanted you to say it first," he teased. Lexie just laughed and shook her head.

They made out for a little while longer, trading more "I love yous" and other little endearments. Finally, Lexie pushed at Mark's chest, giggling slightly. "We should go to bed before one of us accidentally ends up proposing."

Mark chuckled and fell onto his side, wrapping an arm around Lexie's waist and pulling her close. "We'll save that for next month."


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's finally go time! Sloan's baby is on his way!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for joining me on this sweet little AU journey. This is the last regular chapter of the story and there will be a short epilogue that I'll post next week. I hope that you've enjoyed - I've definitely enjoyed writing it!

"Ok, so _Dirty Dancing_ or _Pretty Woman_?" Lexie asked, holding up both DVDs to Sloan, who was sitting on the couch, rubbing her stomach soothingly. She hadn't felt well all morning and they'd decided to watch a movie to take her mind off of it.

Sloan groaned and shook her head. "You're not that much older than me, Lex, so why are you picking movies from forever ago?"

"They're classics, Sloan! They'll definitely take your mind off the fact that you're two days overdue."

The microwave dinged, indicating that their popcorn was done. The younger girl struggled to get up off the couch, sighing heavily when she finally managed the feat. She waved her hand as she waddled to the kitchen. "I don't care. Either one. I guess the guy from _Dirty Dancing_ is hotter than the one from _Pretty Woman_."

Lexie laughed and tucked the _Pretty Woman_ DVD back in its spot on the shelf as she opened the _Dirty Dancing_ DVD. "Good choice. I've always loved this movie."

"Oh god!" Sloan suddenly cried out from the kitchen, dropping the popcorn bowl on the floor.

"Sloan?" Lexie's head whipped up to where Sloan was standing in the kitchen and ran over to the girl. "Sloan, are you ok?"

"That one…was a doozy. Lexie, I don't think these are Braxton Hicks contractions. I think these are the real deal." Sloan took a deep breath and rubbed her belly. "Son of a bitch, that hurt," she murmured.

Lexie glanced down at her watch. "Ok. Ok, Sloan. I'm going to keep an eye on the time. Let me know when you feel another one. When they get closer together, we'll head to the hospital." Sloan nodded as she paced back and forth. "Do you want to sit down?"

Sloan shook her head. "I think the moving helps. Can we turn on some music or something? Something to take my mind off of this?"

Lexie nodded and went into the family room, turning on the sound system and finding the pop station that Sloan usually preferred. "Should we call my dad?"

Lexie bit her lip. "Probably. I don't know what he has on the board today, but he'd be so mad at himself if he missed this. It's just hard to know because we don't know long the labor will last, Sloan. Do you want me to call him?"

Sloan nodded. "Yes, please, call him, Lexie. I don't want to do this without him."

Lexie nodded and grabbed her cell phone, quickly punching Mark's speed dial. It took a few rings for him to pick up, and Lexie kept a worried eye on Sloan the entire time. She glanced down at her watch – they were going on nine minutes now. "Hey, what's up, Lex?"

"Hey. I need to tell you something and I need you to not freak out, ok?"

He chuckled. "Ok."

"Sloan's in labor."

Despite her warning, she could hear the panic in Mark's voice immediately. "What? For how long now? How far apart are her contractions?"

Lexie couldn't help but smile a little bit at Mark's frantic tone. She loved it when his worried dad tone came out. "I think since this morning. She thought they were just Braxton Hicks, but they're the real deal. I'm timing them now – she hasn't had one in about thirteen minutes. We just thought you should know so you don't go into surgery."

"I'll clear the rest of my schedule today. Are you guys coming in?"

"The doctor said to stay at home until they're five minutes apart consistently, or until her water breaks. Neither of those things have happened yet." Suddenly Sloan stopped pacing and groaned, rubbing her back. Lexie glanced down and checked her watch. "Fifteen minutes. She's having another contraction."

"Lexie…" Mark trailed off and Lexie could hear the fear in his voice.

"Mark, she's fine. I'll talk to her and see what she wants to do. I'll call you when she decides, ok? Just keep your schedule clear."

"Should I come home?"

"I think it's fine if you stay at the hospital." She glanced over to Sloan, who had started breathing normally and pacing again. "We'll be there soon anyway."

"Are you sure?"

"Do you want to talk to her?" Lexie asked, already handing over the phone.

"Dad?" Sloan grabbed the phone. "It's fine. Me and Lexie are fine here for a little bit longer, I think. But by the time you get out of the hospital and get home, we'll basically be ready to go. Just stay there. I'm fine." She paused, clearly listening to Mark's response. Lexie couldn't help but laugh at the slight eye roll from Sloan as she tried to get in a word with her dad. "Dad…Dad, I'm fine. Lexie's a doctor too! And she's been around OB/GYNs a lot more recently than you have, so I think she knows what she's talking about."

Lexie muffled her laughter at Sloan's assertion. It was technically true. She'd actually just been on that rotation last month, so she was definitely familiar with laboring moms.

"Dad, seriously, we're fine here! We'll head to the hospital soon. I'm giving the phone back to Lexie so she can talk sense into you." With that, Sloan handed over the phone and shook her head, sighing heavily. Lexie couldn't help but laugh as she took the phone back.

"She's right, you know. I was just on the gynie squad last month." Mark sighed on the other end of the phone and Lexie grinned. "Mark, why don't you call Catherine for us? That way she can get in touch with Paige and Jamie and they'll be ready when they need to come to the hospital. You have her number, right?"

"Of course, I have her number," he muttered. Lexie grinned again as she heard him sigh again, clearly trying to calm himself. "You promise that you'll come in soon?"

"I promise. We'll give you a call when we're on our way over. We're not that far away from the hospital, Mark. It's not like she's going to have the baby right here in the entryway," she joked.

"I know, I know," he said, sighing. "Alright, I'll go call Catherine. I'll see you soon. Love you."

"Love you too," she murmured, lowering the phone and hitting the 'end call' button. "I'm going to go grab your go-bag, Sloan. And then I feel like we should probably head into the hospital before we give your dad a heart attack."

* * *

Mark was obviously relieved when Lexie and Sloan finally arrived at the hospital. He'd insisted they go straight up to Labor and Delivery and had Sloan's doctor paged immediately. According to her doctor, Sloan's labor was relatively quick for a first-time mom, but Sloan (and Mark and Lexie) would beg to differ. To them, it felt like it took forever, but at the end, Sloan was holding her son, smiling down at him.

"He's really great," she whispered. "He's so perfect."

"Look at that nose," Mark murmured. "That's a Sloan nose."

Lexie grinned, nodding. "He's pretty great. And I definitely see the family resemblance," she said, grinning up at Mark.

Sloan traced his little nose with her pointer finger, smiling down at him. "Do you guys mind if I have a minute with him? Maybe you could go find Catherine and Paige and Jamie? I just need…just a minute. Please?"

Lexie grabbed Mark's hand as they both nodded and headed out of the room. "Hey," she said, tugging on his hand slightly. "You ok? You look like you're a million miles away."

"That's my grandson, Lex. And he's just…going to go away. Be raised by someone else. I'm never going to get to see him grow up, just like I never got to see Sloan grow up." He shook his head sadly as they made their way down the hallway. "Am I ever going to get to raise a kid? Or does the universe just think that I'd be a terrible dad too?"

Lexie shook her head fiercely. "I've told you, Mark, you're not a terrible dad. It'll happen! You'll get to raise a baby."

His blue eyes sharpened, and he turned his full attention to her. Lexie blushed as she realized what she had just said and how he must have taken it. "Yeah?"

She bit her lip and looked away, shrugging her shoulders lightly. "I mean…yeah." She looked up at him, smiling uncertainly. "Someday. Not soon. Definitely not soon. But someday. There will be a baby in your future, Mark."

"Our future?" he said hopefully.

Lexie laughed and rolled her eyes at his need to clarify. "Yes, Mark. Our future. Not soon…I'm still just an intern. But…I wouldn't mind a baby or two down the road."

Mark leaned forward and kissed her quickly, before slinging an arm around her shoulders as they continued down the hallway. "Sounds good to me, Lexie."

Lexie and Mark found Catherine, who was sitting with Paige and Jamie. Catherine went off to make sure the paperwork was in the works and Mark and Lexie brought Paige and Jamie back to Sloan's room. "Hi Paige! Hi Jamie!" Sloan smiled at them from her hospital bed.

"Hi Sloan! How are you feeling?" Paige asked, smiling softly at the younger woman.

"Like I just pushed a watermelon out of my body, but all things considered, I'm good." She grinned and then nodded over to where the baby was resting. "Go ahead," she said.

Paige grinned and picked up the baby. "Oh my goodness. Hello, little man. We're your parents. We're so happy to meet you."

Sloan smiled and looked to Lexie. "Lex, there's a little photo album in the front pocket of my bag – can you grab it? And can you give it to Paige and Jamie, please?"

Lexie nodded, digging through the bag, before grabbing out the small photo album. She handed it off to Jamie, who opened it curiously.

"It's just some pictures I took through the pregnancy. Some of me and my family…Catherine…meeting you guys. I just wanted him to see where he came from. I wanted to be able to give him something," Sloan said softly.

The couple nodded and smiled, as Jamie flipped through the book and showed Paige the pictures. Just then, Catherine and the hospital's adoption coordinator came into the room. The coordinator smiled softly before interrupting. "We have a private room prepared for you two if you'd like to go and fill out paperwork while you keep bonding? Sloan, we'll bring your paperwork in as well."

Paige looked over to Sloan. "We can never thank you enough, Sloan. Thank you for completing our family."

She smiled. "You guys are great. Thank you for taking care of him. Thank you for loving him. Just…reach out if you ever…want to. Or need to. Don't be strangers."

The coordinator led the couple out of the room and Catherine promised that she'd check in on Sloan in just a little bit. Sloan managed to keep a brave face until they were out of the room. But as soon as the door closed, she crumpled and started to cry. Mark was beside her in a second, opening his arms and letting her cry on his shoulder. Lexie sat down on the other side of the bed, stroking Sloan's hair as Mark rubbed her back.

After a few minutes, she attempted to pull herself together, her sobs turning into hiccups and sniffles. She pressed herself back, collapsing against the bed. "Sorry guys," she whispered.

Both Lexie and Mark shook their heads. "You have nothing to apologize for, sweetheart," Mark said softly.

"I'm happy. I am. I know that Paige and Jamie will be great parents and they'll love him so much. And I know that this was the right thing to do, but…he's my baby. He's my baby and I had to give him up."

Lexie grabbed a hold of Sloan's hand. "You're his mom, Sloan. You did what's best for him. Because you love him. You did the right thing, even though it's a hard thing."

Sloan nodded, wiping at her cheeks. She leaned forward and hugged Mark again, sighing into his shoulder. "Thank you for taking me in. Thank you for helping me." She leaned back, out of Mark's embrace, and looked over to Lexie. "I couldn't have done this without either of you."

"We're your family, Sloan," Lexie murmured, squeezing her hand. "We'd do anything for you." Mark looked over at Lexie and smiled softly at her.

Sloan sniffed and smiled at both of them. "I'm so lucky that I found you guys when I did." She laughed and wiped at her cheeks, trying to stem the flow of tears. "These hormones are no joke right now!" Mark just smiled at her and pulled her into a hug again, rubbing her back soothingly.


End file.
